DETROIT - General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., the world's biggest automakers, said yesterday that their U.S. car and truck sales fell less than expected last month, and Ford signaled that the economic slowdown that hurt auto sales in recent months might be about to end.
GM sales of North American-built light vehicles slipped 5.2 percent but were buoyed by gains for the Yukon and Tahoe sport utility vehicles and in fleet sales, and Ford's fell 11 percent. Both had been forecast to decline 17 percent.
Sales fell 16 percent at DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler arm and 11 percent at Toyota Motor Corp., the No. 3 and No. 4 automakers in the United States.
Analysts estimate that U.S. sales dropped 8.9 percent last month as consumer confidence ebbed. GM, Ford and Chrysler have cut first-quarter production plans by at least 17 percent.
Even with the decline at Toyota and a 6.6 percent drop at Nissan Motor Co., Asian and European automakers are expected to continue taking market share from GM, Ford and Chrysler. The month's seasonally adjusted sales rate fell to about 16.3 million from 18.2 million in January 2000, based on the average forecast.
GM sold 338,014 North American-built light vehicles in the United States last month, with cars slipping 4.2 percent and minivans, sport utilities and pickup trucks declining 6.2 percent. Total sales including heavy trucks and imports fell 5.1 percent to 343,548.
Sales fell in most of GM's major brands. Exceptions included Saturn, which rose 25 percent, and Oldsmobile, which rose 3.9 percent because of incentives designed to clear out inventories as GM begins phasing out the division.
Sales of almost every truck model fell, with the Chevrolet S/T pickups posting a 39 percent decline and the GMC Sonoma falling 37 percent. The Chevrolet Tahoe sport utility rose 68 percent and two GMC Yukon models rose a combined 47 percent.
Ford sold 247,242 North American-built light vehicles. Car sales fell 20 percent while light trucks declined 5.1 percent, helped by the new Escape sport utility vehicle. Sales including imports and heavy trucks fell 11 percent to 260,108.
Every Ford brand reported lower sales than in January 2000, including a drop of more than a third at Land Rover, which sold 1,503 vehicles. Ford bought the luxury sport utility business from Bayerische Motoren Werke AG last year.
Mercury and Lincoln sales declined about 24 percent, while Jaguar sales declined 21 percent and Volvo sales dropped 15 percent. Sales were better than expected in part because Ford sold 12,228 of its new Escape small sport utility, helping push SUV sales to a record 58,589.
Still, Ford is being hurt by the lingering effects of the Aug. 9 recall of Firestone tires used on its best-selling Ford Explorer sport utility, after reports of fatal accidents. The recall delayed introduction of a redesigned Explorer. Explorer sales fell 23 percent to 24,194 vehicles.
Chrysler sold 160,680 vehicles, in line with forecasts. Car sales fell 22 percent while light truck sales fell 14 percent. Minivan sales fell 39 percent.
Of vehicles available in the comparable month a year ago, only the Neon car and Chrysler Voyager and Town & Country minivans had higher sales. The company sold 13,475 of its PT Cruisers, its popular retro vehicle introduced last year.
