U.S.-Built Car, Truck Sales Decline 9.5%

Sales of North American-built cars and trucks tumbled 9.5% in mid-March compared to a weak period last year as the absence of big rebates, especially on trucks, showed its effect, auto makers said Friday.

The nine major auto makers with U.S. plants said they sold cars and trucks at an average daily rate of 35,497 during March 11-20 this year, compared to a rate of 39,225 during the same period last year.

Car sales slipped 8.9% while truck sales were down 10.6%.

The slide in truck sales, which make up 38% of all vehicles sold in the United States, may end soon. On Thursday, General Motors Corp., for the first time, offered $1,000 rebates on its three-vehicle line of front-wheel-drive minivans.

Ford Motor Co. already was offering a $500 rebate on its Aerostar minivan.

When Chrysler Corp. offered incentives on its market-leading minivans in late December and January, sales soared. But since the incentives expired, sales have plummeted.

Chrysler led the decline in mid-March sales with a 29.9% drop in car sales and a 23.3% decline in truck sales, combining for a 26.6% overall sales skid.

“The minivan incentives probably created a lot of sales for them but pulled sales from March,” said auto analyst Douglas Laughlin of Bear, Stearns & Co. of New York.

VEHICLE SALES

March 11-20 % 1990 change GM* 126,852 - 9.5 Ford* 90,184 - 8.2 Chrysler* 38,307 -26.6 Honda U.S. 9,808 + 8.4 Mitsubishi U.S. 1,268 +127.6 Nissan U.S.* 6,337 -12.1 Toyota U.S. 8,580 +70.7 Mazda U.S. 2,593 +87.4 Subaru U.S. 46 ** TOTAL 283,975 -9.5

* Includes light truck sales.

** No comparison possible.

There were 8 selling days in the selling period this year and last year.