January sales figures have shown that car manufacturers are experiencing mixed fortunes in the US market.

The motor company Ford has reported slow January sales in the American market, after a strong December.

Sales of Ford passenger cars dropped 2.9 per cent to 69,943, while sales of its passenger trucks fell 17 per cent to 131,599.

Chrysler reported a slight upturn in sales, selling 148,111 vehicles in the US, up one per cent from a year earlier.

Nissan's North American arm also enjoyed a good start to the New Year, posting a 6.1 per cent gain in January sales.

Wall Street analysts are expecting US car manufacturers to return slightly lower January sales than last year.

The forecast decline in sales has not come as a surprise to industry expert Christopher Ceraso at CS First Boston, who told the Wall Street Journal the sluggish January market was "largely the result of a payback for a blowout December".