Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Ford Sales Slump in December

Light-vehicle sales down 9% over Dec. '06, and off 12% for all of 2007

By Dustin Lushing,  Newser Staff

Posted Jan 3, 2008 1:15 PM CST

(Newser) – Ford Motor Co. reported a 9% dip in US sales of cars and light trucks between last December and December 2007, capping off a dismal year for the company and the auto industry, the Wall Street Journal reports. Ford, which is third in US auto sales behind Toyota and leader General Motors, saw light-vehicle sales fall 12% in 2007 overall.

Recession worries, the credit crunch and high gas prices are expected to make 2008 a lackluster year for the auto industry, the Journal reports. In an effort to avoid having to offer discounts to clear vehicles, Ford has been cutting production and intends to focus on retail sales—cars sold to individual consumers—over fleet sales—to rental-car companies and the like.

Unsold 2008 F-150 pickup trucks sit at a Ford dealership in the southeast Denver suburb of Centennial, Colo., on Sunday, Dec. 30, 2007. Ford Motor Co.'s sales fell 9 percent in December, ending with a whimper a year that is expected to be the worst for the auto industry...
Unsold 2008 F-150 pickup trucks sit at a Ford dealership in the southeast Denver suburb of Centennial, Colo., on Sunday, Dec. 30, 2007. Ford Motor Co.'s sales fell 9 percent in December, ending with a...   (Associated Press)
Unsold 2007 Edge sports-utility vehicles sit under the company sign at a Ford dealership in Denver on Sunday, Dec. 23, 2007. Auto industry analysts are predicting a lackluster end to an already dismal year, the worst in about a decade. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Unsold 2007 Edge sports-utility vehicles sit under the company sign at a Ford dealership in Denver on Sunday, Dec. 23, 2007. Auto industry analysts are predicting a lackluster end to an already dismal...   (Associated Press)
The company sign hangs over a row of unsold 2008 F-150 and Ranger pickup trucks in front of a Ford dealership in the southeast Denver suburb of Centennial, Colo., on Sunday, Dec. 30, 2007.  Ford Motor Co.'s sales fell 9 percent in December, ending with a whimper a year...
The company sign hangs over a row of unsold 2008 F-150 and Ranger pickup trucks in front of a Ford dealership in the southeast Denver suburb of Centennial, Colo., on Sunday, Dec. 30, 2007. Ford Motor...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

More Newser Stories

Ford Sales, Off 34%, Key Ugly US Autos Report

Mercury Line May Hit the Scrap Heap

US Car Sales Sink in Slow Economy

Japanese Foes Thump Big 3 in June Sales

Automakers Pushing 'Connected' Cars


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne