AUTOS

Auto Sales Figures Released Under New Reporting System: Ford sales were up in January and Nissan’s slipped slightly from a year ago, the companies said. But because the other major foreign and domestic auto makers changed their reporting system this month, it was tough to gauge the industry’s overall U.S. performance. Ford said its January car sales were up 1.2% with light trucks up 4.6%. Nissan was down 0.6% in car sales and 8.6% in trucks. The numbers showed overall industry sales down 2% from January, 1994, with passenger cars accounting for most of the decline. Car sales were off 4%, while light trucks--pickups, vans and sport-utility vehicles--dropped 0.9%. General Motors, Chrysler and most of the foreign-based auto makers reported their sales Wednesday, two days earlier than the traditional practice, raising questions about whether their counts represented a full month’s sales.