The US car market has seen two of its biggest names report losses, as both General Motors (GM) and Ford released their latest monthly sales figures.

Ford saw its sales slump by four per cent in comparison with 2005, as sales totalled just over 244,000.

The figures mean year-to-date sales at the manufacturer have fallen by one per cent since the start of year, with Ford confirming it plans to produce 890,000 in the second quarter of this year – down from the 906,000 vehicles made in 2005 in the same period.

Meanwhile, GM said that it had seen total sales of new cars and trucks drop to 301,545, a 2.5 per cent fall from February 2005.

Total car sales were dramatically down, falling by 13 per cent, but GM north America vice president Mark LaNeve welcomed an improvement in retail sales as GM dealers saw returns climb by one per cent.

"Consumer response to our new vehicles and segment-leading value resulted in solid sales results in February," he said.

"It's still early, but we're exceeding all of the important targets for our new full-size SUVs, particularly the Tahoe, which is the first one to arrive in dealerships," he added.

Acknowledging a "challenging month" overall, Mr LaNeve said that the firm was confident it could continue to deliver solid sales.


Ÿ Adfero Ltd