The largest car manufacturers in the US continued to see sales slide during the final month of 2005, as earlier attempts to reinvigorate the market appear to have failed.

Ford, General Motors (GM) and Chrysler all announced further falls in sales during December after the summer giveaway which saw the automakers reduce prices in a bid to stimulate growth in the market look to have had little impact.

GM saw its overall sales fall by ten per cent, driven by a 19 per cent drop in car sales and the slump represents the fifth month in succession that the world's largest car manufacturer has seen its sales slide.

Meanwhile, Ford's sales fell by nine per cent during the month, as Chrysler suffered its third month of falling sales with a 4.9 per cent reduction.

However, there was some better news for Ford's car sector, as combined sales for the Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan and Lincoln Zephyr increased by 33 per cent compared to November.

Steve Lyons, Ford group vice president of North American marketing, told the Wall Street Journal: "Consumer response to our new midsize sedans has exceeded our expectations."

Remaining bullish despite the difficult conditions, Mr Lyons added: "We're confident we can build on our car sales success in 2006."


Ÿ Adfero Ltd