This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25590219
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| US car makers report disappointing December sales | US car makers report disappointing December sales |
| (about 2 hours 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. |
| "At the very beginning of the month the pace of buying was slow because there were so many storms around the country," said Edmunds.com senior analyst Michelle Krebs. | |
| "Now what we're seeing is some of the automakers are stretching their December deals into January." | |
| 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. |
| Truck boost | |
| Overall, sales in 2013 were strong for the big three Detroit car manufacturers, who were helped along by strong sales of their truck offerings. | |
| Truck sales tend to increase in relation to home sales, which were strong for much of the year as the US economic recovery spurred long-delayed housing activity. | |
| "Trucks on the road are even older than cars on the road," said Ms Krebs. | |
| She added: "There are lots of new products: Chrysler came out with a new Ram pick-up truck, GM introduced its new trucks this fall and Toyota had a new Tundra model" which further enticed consumers. | |
| Toyota reverses | Toyota reverses |
| However, Toyota, the third biggest player in the US market, didn't do as well as the US manufacturers. | |
| It 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. |