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| US car makers report disappointing December sales | US car makers report disappointing December sales |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| General Motors (GM) has reported a fall in car sales in December in what was a disappointing month for US car makers. | General Motors (GM) has reported a fall in car sales in December in what was a disappointing month for US car makers. |
| GM shares fell 2.4% after it reported a 6.3% fall in sales compared with December 2012. | GM shares fell 2.4% after it reported a 6.3% fall in sales compared with December 2012. |
| Ford and Chrysler both reported rising sales, but not the increases that industry analysts were expecting. | Ford and Chrysler both reported rising sales, but not the increases that industry analysts were expecting. |
| Chrysler sold 161,000 cars and trucks in December, up 5.7% on the same period in 2012 and Ford reported a 1.8% rise in December sales. | Chrysler sold 161,000 cars and trucks in December, up 5.7% on the same period in 2012 and Ford reported a 1.8% rise in December sales. |
| Slow December | Slow December |
| Analysts said that poor weather in parts of the US kept customers away from dealerships in December. | Analysts said that poor weather in parts of the US kept customers away from dealerships in December. |
| Kurt McNeil, vice president, of US sales for GM, said: "December started a little slow but sales were stronger later in the month, especially in the week between Christmas and New Year." | Kurt McNeil, vice president, of US sales for GM, said: "December started a little slow but sales were stronger later in the month, especially in the week between Christmas and New Year." |
| Meanwhile Ford said that a four-day weekend for Thanksgiving late in November may have brought forward sales that would have fallen in December. | Meanwhile Ford said that a four-day weekend for Thanksgiving late in November may have brought forward sales that would have fallen in December. |
| For Chrysler the Jeep brand continued to be a strong performer with a 34% rise in sales last month. | For Chrysler the Jeep brand continued to be a strong performer with a 34% rise in sales last month. |
| With a 9% rise in annual sales, 2013 was the strongest year for Chrysler since 2007. | With a 9% rise in annual sales, 2013 was the strongest year for Chrysler since 2007. |
| "Our Jeep and Ram truck brands had a strong finish led by the all new 2014 Jeep Cherokee and the Ram pickup truck," said Reid Bigland, head of US sales. | "Our Jeep and Ram truck brands had a strong finish led by the all new 2014 Jeep Cherokee and the Ram pickup truck," said Reid Bigland, head of US sales. |
| Toyota reverses | Toyota reverses |
| Toyota, the third biggest player in the US market, saw sales in December decline by 1.7% from a year ago to 190,843. | |
| Analysts had been expecting Toyota to report rising sales. | Analysts had been expecting Toyota to report rising sales. |
| But 2013 is expected to be the best year for US auto market since 2007, with total annual sales of about 15.6 million. | But 2013 is expected to be the best year for US auto market since 2007, with total annual sales of about 15.6 million. |
| That would be a strong recovery from 2009 when sales fell to 10.4 million during the depths of the recession. | That would be a strong recovery from 2009 when sales fell to 10.4 million during the depths of the recession. |