FOURTH-QUARTER U.S. SALES FALL 9.8% AT FORD

Ford Motor Corp on Wednesday posted a 9.8 per cent fall in quarterly U.S. auto sales, as a fall in sales of its profitable trucks outweighed higher demand for sport utility vehicles. The No. 2 U.S. automaker sold 542,749 vehicles in the fourth quarter, down from 601,862 a year earlier. The automaker posted a 12.5 per cent decline in truck sales as well as a 41.1 per cent fall in passenger cars as it continues to phase out traditional sedan models in North America that have become increasingly unpopulars. Sales of its SUVs, however, rose 4 per cent to 216,732 units. “Fourth quarter represented an inflection point at Ford in our transition from cars to a much greater focus on iconic trucks, SUVs and electric vehicles,” said Andrew Frick, vice-president at Ford's sales in the United States and Canada.