Sales of domestically built cars and trucks rose a modest 5.3 percent in early December, automakers reported Tuesday. But dealers said November's brisk business has carried over into the holiday season.
"I don't know how others are doing, but we're rocking and rolling," said Carl Inman, sales manager at Linda Jones Chrysler-Plymouth-Jeep-Eagle-Dodge in Beaver Falls, Pa. "Traditionally, everybody thinks we're going to have a bad December because people are out Christmas shopping."Cars sold at an annualized rate of 7.1 million and light trucks, such as pickups and minivans, at an annualized rate of 5.4 million. Over the past 30 days, cars and light trucks have sold at respective annualized rates of just under 7.1 million and 5.6 million.
The U.S. Big Three - General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Corp. - reported a 4.5 percent improvement in early December sales, most of the gains coming in the light truck segment they dominate.
Japanese automakers that assemble vehicles in the United States posted a 12.8 percent gain, due largely to the success of cars like the Mitsubishi Galant, Nissan Altima and Mazda 626 whose predecessors were built in Japan and counted as imports.
Honda Motor Corp. reported a 15.3 percent drop in sales, but one Honda dealer said the redesigned Accord is beginning to catch on after a slow start.
"We have come back from being behind to being No. 2 in the sales race," said Forrest McConnell III, who has Honda and Acura stores in Montgomery, Ala. Accord will likely finish runnerup to the Ford Taurus in calendar-year sales for the second consecutive year after being the sales leader from 1989-91.
Honda dealers and officials quickly point out that Honda does not sell Accords at discount to daily rental companies, which helps preserve trade-in values.
Ford sold 44 percent of Tauruses to rental companies and other corporate customers last year. Taurus sales for the year are off about 4.8 percent this year because fewer are going into corporate and other fleets.