General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co.’s U.S. sales fell in June, their fifth-straight monthly drop as demand weakened for trucks such as the Ford Explorer sport utility vehicle.
Toyota Motor Corp.’s sales rose.
GM’s decline was 26 percent from a year earlier, and Ford’s was 6.9 percent, the two largest U.S. automakers said Monday. Toyota reported a 14 percent gain.
Sales fell 13 percent at DaimlerChrysler AG, including a 15 percent slide for Chrysler, leaving the company behind Toyota again for the No. 3 rank. Nissan Motor’s sales dropped 19 percent.
In June 2005, GM’s sales rose 47 percent to their highest in 19 years as the automaker started offering all buyers the prices its employees pay.
“GM is trying to stay disciplined and not buy market share” with incentives this year, said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst at Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Mass.
The automaker said last week that it is not reviving its employee-pricing offers, which spurred sales while reducing the profit per vehicle and cutting demand in later months.
Both GM and Ford are trying to boost sales while relying on fewer incentives. GM is offering interest-free loans through Wednesday. Ford also is offering interest-free loans and fuel deals. But Chrysler is reviving its employee-pricing.
