Car Sales Rise: Sales of the Big...

Car Sales Rise: Sales of the Big Three auto makers’ cars and light trucks rose 8.9% in early July, compared to last year when incentives had been rolled back and sales fell from a torrid June rate, the companies said. General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler said they sold vehicles at an average daily rate of 33,504 during the July 1-10 period this year, compared to a rate of 30,766 during the same time last year. Car sales were up 10.3% and truck sales were 6.8% higher. The sales rate during June last year was particularly strong, even for what proved to be the second-best sales year in auto history. But the incentives that spurred those deals began coming off in early July, 1988.

AUTO SALES

10-Day July 1-10, 1989 % change GM 74,304 +11.3 Ford 48,458 +16.9 Chrysler 20,449 -5.8 Honda U.S. 6,623 -31.8 Nissan U.S. 2,639 +86.9 Toyota U.S. 1,694 +104 Mazda U.S. 414 +47.3 Mitsubishi U.S. 716 - TOTAL 155,297 +9.3