AUTO INDUSTRY Cavalier sales remain ahead of 2001 pace

Sales grew for some automakers in September, but GM suffered a double-digit sales drop.
STAFF/WIRE REPORTS
LORDSTOWN -- Chevrolet Cavalier sales fell sharply last month but still remain ahead of last year's pace.
Sales of the Cavalier, which is made at General Motors' Lordstown Assembly Plant, fell to 11,664 last month, compared with 17,577 in September last year, which was a 34 percent drop.
For the first nine months of the year, Chevrolet has sold 192,839 Cavaliers, which is 11 percent more than the 174,109 sold in the first nine months of last year.
Sales of the Pontiac Sunfire, also made at Lordstown, were down 35 percent last month. Pontiac sold 2,690 Sunfires, compared with 4,118 in the same month last year.
For the first nine months of year, Pontiac sold 54,583 Sunfires, compared with 56,935 in the same period last year, which is a 4 percent decline.
GM's car sales were down 18 percent in September, contributing to a 13 percent decline in overall sales. GM sold 312,276 cars and trucks last month.
"Our September sales performance was softer than expected. However, when you consider our exceptional sales performance in July and August, lean inventories and the competitive environment, we expected there would be some weakening in September sales," said Bill Lovejoy, group vice president of North America vehicle sales, service and marketing.
Other domestic sales
DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group saw both car and truck sales jump 18 percent last month, while Ford Motor Co. had mixed results, the automakers said Tuesday.
Automakers have battled for customers during the past year with zero-percent financing, rebates and other offers, providing a boost to U.S. auto sales during a generally weak economy.
David Healy, an industry analyst with Burnham Securities Inc., said GM was bitten by its decision to stop offering interest-free financing on 2002 models in early September.
"I think you could say they were paying the piper," Healy said. "They simply cleaned out their inventory of popular models."
Chrysler, on the other hand, rebounded from a poor September 2001 in which it lagged behind its competitors in offering incentive plans.
Digesting the figures, industry observers predicted a seasonally adjusted annual sales rate of about 16.3 million vehicles, well below the torrid pace of 18 million-plus in July and August.
Foreign makers
Overseas automakers enjoyed positive results.
Hyundai Motor America said it sold a record 30,257 vehicles. Also posting positive year-over-year sales numbers were Honda Motor Co. (16 percent), Nissan North America Inc. (9.5 percent) and Toyota Motor Corp. (4.2 percent).
Ford's car sales, excluding its luxury brands, were at 87,412 in September, down 5.8 percent from the year-ago period. Truck sales were up 5.6 percent year-over-year at 176,217.