Ford Motor Co overtook General Motors (GM) for the lead in US sales on Tuesday as Toyota faltered amid a series of mass recalls and congressional investigations into its safety standards.
Ford appeared to have capitalized on Toyota’s woes as its US sales last month jumped 43 percent to 142,285 vehicles, overtaking GM, which sold 141,951. It was the first time Ford had surpassed GM in monthly sales since the top US automaker’s sales were hit by a strike at a key supplier in 1998.
Competition was set to be fierce this month as automakers sought to match the zero percent financing incentives Toyota offered wary customers.
Toyota reported an 8.7 percent drop in US sales last month to 100,027 vehicles, while its market share slipped 3.1 points to 12.8 percent, research firm Autodata said.
Overall industry sales rose 13 percent to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 10.38 million units from depressed year-ago levels, Autodata said.
A series of massive snowstorms was blamed for dampening sales last month, which were down from the 10.78 million unit rate posted in January.
Ford’s market share including its Volvo unit rose 3.8 points sales to 18.2 percent while GM’s share was down 0.1 points at 18.1 percent, Autodata said.
“The strength of our new products and Ford’s leadership in quality, fuel efficiency, safety, smart design and value are resonating with customers,” said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president for US marketing, sales and service.
GM, which posted an 11.5 percent gain from February last year, expressed satisfaction with its performance. While GM welcomed the opportunity to introduce its products to new customers, it attributed the bulk of its gains to the success of its restructuring plan and a solid lineup at its four “core” brands.
Sales at Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac rose 32.2 percent last month to 138,849 while total sales including brands being wound down rose to 141,951 vehicles for the same month from 127,296 a year earlier.
Chrysler’s US sales rose by one vehicle to 84,449 units from a year earlier but were nonetheless 48 percent higher than the dismal results it posted in January. Its market share slipped 1.4 points to 10.8 percent, Autodata said.
TYPHOON: The storm’s path indicates a high possibility of Krathon making landfall in Pingtung County, depending on when the storm turns north, the CWA said Typhoon Krathon is strengthening and is more likely to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said in a forecast released yesterday afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the CWA’s updated sea warning for Krathon showed that the storm was about 430km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point. It was moving in west-northwest at 9kph, with maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts of up to 155kph, CWA data showed. Krathon is expected to move further west before turning north tomorrow, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said. The CWA’s latest forecast and other countries’ projections of the storm’s path indicate a higher
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
RSS