Ford outsells Toyota as auto sales drops go on | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

Ford outsells Toyota as auto sales drops go on | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press:

Ford Motor Co. turned the tables on Toyota Motor Co. in April, outselling Japan's largest automaker in monthly sales for the first time in more than a year.

For the year, Ford sales are still about 46,000 vehicles behind Toyota. But Ford is benefiting from its new Fusion hybrid and gasoline-powered models, which Ford is billing as "America's most fuel-efficient midsized sedan."

Distress at General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC is also helping the Dearborn automaker distinguish itself.

Ford, which has been promoting itself as the "different" American automaker that is surviving without federal assistance, sold 129,476 cars and trucks in April. Toyota sold 126,540. "Ford appeared to have benefited from the misery of GM and Chrysler," observed Jesse Toprak, executive director of industry analysis for Edmunds.com.
Monthly declines continue across the U.S. auto industry, meanwhile, light-vehicle sales fell 34.4% in April, compared with the same month last year. That was the 18th consecutive month of declines. For the year, U.S. new-vehicle sales are now off 37.4%.

U.S. consumers purchased just under 820,000 new cars and trucks last month, even as consumer confidence began to pick up. The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index rose more than 10 points to 39.2 on a scale of 100. While low, that's the highest score for confidence this year.

Chrysler struggles

Chrysler led the industry's decline, with its vehicle sales dropping 48% compared with last year. Chrysler ended the month with 114 days' or nearly three months of inventory. Inventory levels of about 60 days are considered ideal.
While the company's total sales fell 48%, the company noted that retail sales to consumers were down 39%, about the same percentage decline as the overall industry.
"We're bouncing along the bottom of the bathtub," said Vice Chairman Jim Press.
Toyota reported the second-largest decline, with sales falling 42%, as popular models struggled.

April sales of the once-popular Toyota Prius hybrid declined 61.5%, compared with the same month a year ago, when gas prices were at least $1 higher. Sales of the Camry, usually the nation's best-selling passenger car, fell 37%.

Toprak said Toyota's conservative level of discounting during April, compared with other automakers, might have contributed to its declines.

Sales at GM, meanwhile, fell 33% in April, which was a better performance than expected. While GM is still the U.S. sales leader, with about 578,000 new cars and trucks sold this year, the company's sales are now down 45% for the year, compared with the same four months a year ago.