Toyota beats Ford again, GM, Chrysler sales up

updated 4:52 p.m. ET Dec. 1, 2006

DETROIT - Toyota Motor Corp. sold more vehicles in the U.S. last month than Ford Motor Co., marking the second time ever that the No. 2 domestic automaker was beaten out by its Japanese rival.

Ford reported Friday that its U.S. auto sales dropped 9.7 percent in November compared with the same period a year ago. Toyota sold 196,695 vehicles in November, a 15.9 percent increase over November 2005, compared with Ford’s 181,111.

General Motors Corp.’s sales rose 6.1 percent, while DaimlerChrysler AG’s were up 4.7 percent.

GM sold 293,558 vehicles last month, the most of any manufacturer. It sold 109,985 cars, a 7.9 percent decline from November 2005, but truck sales rose 16.6 percent to 183,573. The numbers include the European Saab brand.

Toyota’s sales, including its Lexus luxury brand, were boosted by a 17.8 percent increase in light truck sales. Sales of the RAV4 compact sport utility vehicle had their best November ever, up 156.9 percent to 11,425. Toyota’s car sales were up 14.5 percent, to 109,126.

Ford’s light truck sales dropped 13 percent to 119,259, including a 16.1 percent drop in sales of the dominant F-Series pickup, while car sales fell 2.6 percent to 61,852, reflecting lower deliveries to fleet customers.

Ford sales analyst George Pipas, in a conference call with industry analysts and journalists, blamed the company’s monthly sales performance in part on getting a start later in the month on advertising highlighting improvements to its 2007 models and promoting its year-end sales event.

“It was disappointing,” Pipas said. “We missed our own internal sales target for the month.”

But the Dearborn-based company said car sales to individual retail customers were up for the Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln MKZ midsize sedans. Ford’s figures include the Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Jaguar, Volvo and Land Rover brands.

Ford’s share of the domestic market has declined from around 26 percent in the early 1990s to 17.6 percent at the end of October, when Toyota’s share was 15.5 percent. In July, Ford sold fewer vehicles in the U.S. than Toyota for the first time, but Ford’s U.S. sales surpassed the Japanese company’s in August through October.

Toyota spokesman Xavier Dominicis said the company isn’t focused on market share.

“Our ranking within the industry is really driven by actions our competitors take or don’t take,” he said in a phone interview. “Our fundamental approach remains unabated. We supply consumers with the right product at the right time.”

Although sales of large SUVs have softened due to high gas prices, the RAV4 fits a niche of utility combined with fuel economy, Dominicis said.

“It’s still relatively fresh, and it’s more attractive when you get into the more fuel-efficient SUVs, the crossovers vehicles.”

Asked about how the company’s sales results compared with those of other automakers, Pipas said Ford’s focus remains on its North American turnaround effort. Part of Ford’s “Way Forward” restructuring plan, updated in September, is to reduce manufacturing capacity to match lower demand for its products.

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