AUTO INDUSTRY Ford and GM report slow November sales

Japanese makers, on the other hand, had a good month.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT -- The nation's two largest automakers said they would reduce production in the first quarter of 2005 after reporting weak November sales. Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co., meanwhile, posted record sales for the month.
General Motors Corp. said on Wednesday that its total vehicle sales fell 13.1 percent from November 2003, with a 17.1 percent decline in cars and a 10.3 percent decline in trucks. The company said it intends to produce 1.25 million vehicles in the first quarter, down 7.1 percent from the same quarter last year.
No. 2 Ford Motor Co. said sales of the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands fell 4.3 percent in November from the year before, its ninth monthly decline this year. Car sales fell 12.5 percent, while sales of pickups and SUVs were down 0.9 percent.
Sales at the smallest of Detroit's Big Three, DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group, rose 8.9 percent -- 17.5 percent for cars and 6.8 percent for trucks. It was the eighth consecutive monthly increase, aided by the buzz from its distinctive Chrysler 300 sedan, named Car of the Year by Motor Trend magazine last month.
Japanese
For Nissan, trucks drove November's overall increase of 31 percent. Sales of pickups and SUVs were up 58.7 percent, while cars rose 10 percent.
Toyota's American division, meanwhile, did best with cars. With the Camry holding its place as the country's best-selling passenger car and sales of the Prius hybrid continuing to climb, Toyota sold 19.2 percent more cars last month than in November 2003. Truck sales fell 1.4 percent, giving Toyota an overall increase of 8.8 percent.
Honda Motor Co. said its sales rose 3.1 percent, boosted by strong results for its Acura models and Honda trucks. Truck sales increased 10.2 percent, while car sales fell 2 percent.
Back in the U.S.
Both GM and Ford said fourth-quarter production would remain unchanged at the previously announced plan of 830,000 vehicles for Ford and 1.27 million for GM.
GM spokeswoman Deborah Silverman said November's soft sales were due largely to the fact that the company is at a lull in its introduction of new products. But the company said it too was pleased with results from products launched earlier in the year.
"Our key launch products, the Chevrolet Aveo, Colorado and Equinox, Cadillac STS, GMC Canyon, Pontiac G6 and Buick LaCrosse continue to gain sales and show market momentum," John Smith, group vice president, said in a statement.