Ford, Chrysler Increase Market Share : Mid-April Domestic Auto Sales Up 3.8%

DETROIT —  Total domestic car sales were up 3.8% in mid-April from a year ago, the eight domestic auto manufacturers reported Thursday. General Motors, the industry leader, saw a sharp drop in its share of the car market.

GM sold 104,479 cars from April 11 to 20, down 7.8% from the same period in 1986. This gave GM a market share of 51.9%. Its market share a year earlier was 58.5%.

“The undercurrent story is the (continuing) capture of market share by Ford and Chrysler,” said Thomas O’Grady, an automotive analyst of Integrated Automotive Resources, a research firm based in Wayne, Pa.

Ford boosted its market share to 29.9%, up from 24% a year ago. Ford sold 59,916 autos in the 10-day period, up 28.7% from the same period of 1986.

Chrysler’s car sales dipped 6.9%, to 24,074. Its share of the market dropped slightly, to 12.0% from 13.4% in the 1986 selling period.

Of the remaining auto manufacturers, only Nissan and Honda increased sales of their American-built autos in mid-April. Nissan sales jumped 207%, reflecting increased U.S. production, and Honda showed an increase of 77.8%.

American Motors Corp. sold 715 U.S.-made cars, down 55.3% from a year ago. Volkswagen sold 1,167 U.S.-made cars, down 30.7%. Toyota reported sales of 1,054 cars from a recently opened plant in Fremont, Calif.

The plant is a joint venture with General Motors.

In all, 201,141 cars were sold in the 10-day period, compared to 193,772 in the same period last year.

During the period, the sale of light trucks increased by 24.6%. “Trucks are continuing to take shares from autos,” O’Grady said.

AUTO SALES

Apr. 11-20 Apr. 11-20 % 10-Day 1987 1986 change GM 104,479 113,360 -7.8 Ford 59,916 46,557 +28.7 Chrysler 24,074 25,864 -6.9 Honda U.S. 6,488 3,650 +77.8 AMC* 715 1,600 -55.3 VW U.S.* 1,167 1,683 -30.7 Nissan U.S. 3,248 1,058 +207.0 Toyota U.S. 1,054 -- -- TOTAL 201,141 193,772 +3.8

*Estimate