Ford Motor Co. says its U.S. sales rose 15% in 2010, while Chrysler today reported that its U.S. sales rose 17% last year, helped by purchases from rental car companies and strong demand for its new Jeep.
Ford, Chrysler Post Double-Digit Sales Gains
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Ford Motor Co. says its U.S. sales rose 15 percent in 2010 thanks to strong demand for its pickups and sedans.
The company sold 1.9 million cars and trucks and grabbed market share from rivals including General Motors and Toyota. Ford says 2010 was the second year in a row it gained U.S. market share, its first back-to-back increase since 1993.
The Ford F-150 pickup was the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. last year. The company also saw strong sales of its Fusion midsize sedan and Edge, which has the roominess of an SUV but handles like a car. Sales of Ford’s luxury Lincoln brand rose only 4 percent for the year.
Without the Volvo brand, which Ford sold last fall, Ford’s sales climbed 19 percent for the year.
Chrysler today reported that its U.S. sales rose 17 percent in 2010, helped by purchases from rental car companies and strong demand for its new Jeep.
The company sold 1.1 million cars and trucks as its four brands notched large increases. Much of the sales increase early in the year came from low-profit sales to rental companies. The year’s final months were marked by strong sales of the Jeep Grand Cherokee.
BRAND CONNECTIONS
December sales climbed 16 percent from a year earlier. Sales of the Grand Cherokee, for example, were more than three times their level from a year earlier, when the vehicle hadn’t been revamped.
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