Ford Reports Off Month During Hot Year for Cars

In the midst of one of the strongest years ever for U.S. auto sales, Ford Motor Co. took a breather last month as its sales declined 2%.

Auto makers sold about 1.4 million cars and light trucks in the United States last month, an increase of about 9.5% in the last year. With a good economy and high customer rebates, industry analysts expect 1999 to break the record for yearly sales of 16.1 million set in 1986.

Ford said Monday that sales of its Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars were down 5%, however, mostly because of fewer sales to rental and business fleets. The company sped up such sales before rolling out new models, helping to push car totals up 11.5% last month.

Only three car models--the Ford Mustang, the Ford Crown Victoria and the Mercury Grand Marquis--posted year-to-year sales increases. While the Lincoln LS sedan and Navigator sport-utility vehicle sold well, other Lincoln models had steep declines, leading to a 6.5% drop for the brand.

Truck sales were off less than 1%, a decline the company said was in part the result of switching some production from Ranger pickups to new models of the Ford Explorer sport-utility vehicle.

For the month of September, Ford, General Motors Corp. and DaimlerChrysler saw sales increase 4%. On Friday, GM said its sales were up 8.5% and DaimlerChrysler said sales at its Chrysler division were up 7%.

It was an even better September for foreign makes: Asian auto makers’ sales were up 20%, and European brands were up 36%. BMW said Monday its sales set new highs for the month and year so far, up 20% for September and 19% for the year.