Auto sales fall sharply in October

DETROIT — U.S. auto sales fell sharply in October, dampened by hurricanes, fidgety consumers and high gas prices. Demand was down after a summer of heavily hyped discounts, and automakers warned that they don’t expect an upswing in November.

General Motors, Ford and Nissan reported big declines Tuesday, while Toyota’s U.S. sales edged up slightly, Honda’s sales rose and DaimlerChrysler’s sales were flat. Sport utility vehicles took the biggest hit across all makers. Sales of the Ford Explorer, Lincoln Navigator, GMC Yukon, Hummer H2 and Toyota Land Cruiser were all down 50 percent or more.

General Motors Corp., the world’s biggest automaker, said its U.S. sales fell 22.7 percent in October from a year ago, led by a 30.3 percent decline in sales of trucks and SUVs. GM’s car sales fell 10.6 percent for the month. Overall, GM’s sales fell 2.7 percent for the first 10 months of the year.

Ford Motor Co.’s U.S. sales fell 23 percent in October from a year ago. Sales of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury trucks and sport utility vehicles fell 30 percent compared to last October, while car sales slipped 3.7 percent. Ford’s popular F-series truck saw sales fall 32 percent.

Ford said its new Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr midsize sedans were notable exceptions, exceeding Ford’s expectations in their first month in dealerships. Pipas said Ford expected to sell 2,700 Fusion sedans in October but sold more than 4,000.

Ford’s car sales rose 7 percent for the year, but overall sales fell nearly 3 percent.

DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler Group said its car sales rose a whopping 37 percent, and the Dodge Stratus sedan had its best October in nearly 10 years. But truck and SUV sales fell 9.5 percent and Chrysler’s overall sales were flat for the month. Chrysler’s sales were up 6.9 percent for the first 10 months of the year.

U.S. automakers ended their program under which they sold cars to the public for the discounted price that their employees pay in the first week of October.