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
Ford Sales Slump in December
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 since 1998 as consumers fretted...   (Associated Press)

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. (More Ford stories.)

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