auto sales

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Mercury Line May Hit the Scrap Heap

Sales have slipped from half a million annually to 168K last year

(Newser) - Once a four-wheeled icon of cool, Ford's Mercury brand is steadily losing traction and may soon be parked for good, the Los Angeles Times reports. Ford has not yet announced a plan to scrap the line, but one key stockholder is urging the company to let it go.  "...

US Woes Drive Toyota Profits Down 28%
 US Woes Drive
 Toyota Profits
 Down 28% 
Earnings report

US Woes Drive Toyota Profits Down 28%

World's No. 2 automaker sees tough year ahead

(Newser) - Even Toyota—with its array of popular gas-sipping vehicles—is struggling in a slumping global economy, according to the latest figures. The world’s No. 2 automaker today reported that earnings for the last quarter fell 28% to $3.05 billion from $4.2 billion a year ago, reports the...

Small Cars Surge Amid Sky-High Gas Prices

1 in 5 vehicles sold in April was compact or subcompact

(Newser) - Facing ballooning gas prices, many Americans are turning to smaller cars, with about one in five vehicles sold in April a compact or subcompact, the New York Times reports. That compares to one in eight 10 years ago. “It’s easily the most dramatic segment shift I have witnessed...

Toyota Overtakes GM in Q1
 Toyota Overtakes GM in Q1 

Toyota Overtakes GM in Q1

US giant's worldwide sales off 0.6% as overseas growth mitigates domestic dip

(Newser) - GM’s vehicle sales fell 0.6% in the first quarter, helping Toyota, on 2.7% growth, take the global sales lead, the Wall Street Journal reports. Toyota sold 2.41 million vehicles worldwide to 2.25 million for the American giant, which was hurt badly by a 10.2%...

Hybrid Sales Soar in 2007
 Hybrid Sales Soar in 2007 

Hybrid Sales Soar in 2007

Sales of hybrids up 38% last year, with the Prius leading the way

(Newser) - Sales of hybrid cars rose 38% in the US last year, with Toyota's Prius grabbing more than half the market. As fuel prices climb, hybrid sales are expected to continue to rise this year. Five states lead the rest in buying hybrids, calculated by percentage of sales:
  1. California (26.1%)
...

Pickup Sales Plummet to 10-Year Low

Trucks can't pull their weight as gas prices rev up, housing stalls

(Newser) - US pickup truck sales tumbled in March, hitting their lowest level in nearly a decade. The Big Three all reported double-digit percentage drops in sales this month—the Dodge Ram was down 26%—and large pickups represented barely more than 10% of the auto market. High gas prices added fuel...

March Auto Sales Hit the Skids
March Auto Sales
Hit the Skids 

March Auto Sales Hit the Skids

GM, Chrysler Down 19%, Toyota, Ford Dip 10%

(Newser) - US auto sales plummeted last month, with GM and Chrysler's March sales diving 19%, and Ford and Toyota's down 10%, the Wall Street Journal reports. Rising gas prices, the credit crisis and fear of the future are blamed for the troubling trend. Detroit is bracing for even more bad news...

Car Makers Prepare for a Crash
 Car Makers Prepare for a Crash 

Car Makers Prepare for a Crash

Big Three see sales slump ahead

(Newser) - The slumping US  economy is casting shadows over the New York Auto Show, as industry forecasters this week cut their projections for sales of new cars and light trucks in 2008 to less than 15 million, the lowest level in 14 years. Chrysler, GM, and Ford, who had been projecting...

Porsche Speeds to $225B Euro Empire

VW acquisition would create Europe's biggest car & truck company

(Newser) - The map of Europe's car and truck industry is set to be redrawn with Porsche's likely takeover of Volkswagen, the Financial Times reports. Porsche's board voted to boost the sports car manufacturer's stake in Volkswagen to more than 50% yesterday, only hours after Volkswagen said it would buy a controlling...

US Car Sales Sink in Slow Economy
US Car Sales Sink in Slow Economy

US Car Sales Sink in Slow Economy

GM, Ford, Chrysler, and Toyota saw sales fall last month

(Newser) - A tumbling US economy hit Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, and Toyota today as all four posted declining sales for last month, Bloomberg reports. Chrysler fell 14% as Ford dropped nearly 7% and GM suffered almost a 20% drop in light truck sales. "Primarily it's driven by the weak economy,...

Toyota, GM In Tie for Top Automaker
Toyota, GM In Tie for
Top Automaker

Toyota, GM In Tie for Top Automaker

Tie highlights two companies headed in opposite directions

(Newser) - Toyota has finally caught up with GM, after years of growing roughly five times as fast. GM’s sales rose 3% in 2007, to 9,369,524 vehicles, but it was only enough to tie Toyota, which last week announced sales of approximately 9.37 million, ending GM’s 76-year...

GM Sees Light at End of Tunnel
GM Sees Light at End of Tunnel

GM Sees Light at End of Tunnel

Automakers predicts overseas sales and labor savings will pring profits

(Newser) - Overseas sales expansion and reduced labor costs over the next three years will bring “significant” profit increases to General Motors, CEO Rick Wagoner told analysts yesterday. Wagoner also asked investors for patience as share prices continue slipping in a worsening US economy, reports the Wall Street Journal. He said...

2008's Most Overpriced Vehicles
2008's Most Overpriced Vehicles

2008's Most Overpriced Vehicles

Dodge Ram pickup tops Forbes' list

(Newser) - Don’t be fooled by a dealer discount when buying a new car—it might just be a sign that the car is priced too high to begin with. Forbes names the vehicles it finds the most overpriced:
  1. Dodge Ram 1500
  2. Mercury Grand Marquis
  3. Ford F-150
  4. Dodge Durango
  5. GMC Envoy
...

Ford Sales Slump in December
Ford Sales Slump in December

Ford Sales Slump in December

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

(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...

Toyota Poised to Overtake GM
Toyota Poised to Overtake GM

Toyota Poised to Overtake GM

Plans to build 9.95 million vehicles, widen lead as largest automaker

(Newser) - Toyota, the most profitable automaker in the world, says it will increase production by 5% to a record 9.95 million vehicles in 2008, opening up a lead over General Motors, Reuters reports. Toyota, which sold 9.36 million vehicles in 2007, also expects sales to increase 5% in 2008...

Nov. Sales Languish for Big 3
Nov. Sales Languish for Big 3

Nov. Sales Languish for Big 3

Ford and GM announce production cuts as US sales slump continues

(Newser) - Ford and GM will join Chrysler in cutting production in early 2008, reports the Wall Street Journal today, following sluggish November sales and anticipated weak demand driven by continued economic fallout. Only Ford saw a modest 0.6% improvement in US sales last month, while GM sales were down 11%...

August Retail Sales Fail to Meet Forecasts

Gain of .3% drops to .4% loss if auto sales are excluded

(Newser) - Retail sales were up last month, but the .3% rise failed to meet expectations, and if automobile sales are excluded, sales actually fell by .4%—the steepest drop in a year. The August sales figures provide more fodder for an interest-rate cut when the Fed meets next week. “The...

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