Chrysler Group to Cut Pickup, SUV Production

Chrysler Group, like rival Ford Motor Co., said it would reduce North American production of large pickups and sport utility vehicles in the fourth quarter.

Most cuts will be made on the Dodge Durango SUV and Dodge Ram pickup, Chief Executive Tom LaSorda said. He would not provide specifics but said the reductions would not be as large as production cuts of 65,000 to 75,000 vehicles it was making in the current quarter.

The U.S. arm of DaimlerChrysler said U.S. sales fell 10% through July from a year earlier as gasoline prices rose and buyers shifted to cars from the SUVs, pickups and minivans that have provided more than half the company’s volume.