Ford's April sales fell 7.8 percent, Chrysler's rose 3 percent

DETROIT - Ford Motor Co.&#39;s U.S. sales fell 7.8 percent in April while sales at the Chrysler Group of DaimlerChrysler AG rose 3 percent compared with the same month a year ago, the automakers said Wednesday. <br> <br> The nation&#39;s second biggest automaker said sales of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars were 13 percent lower than those during April 2001, and light truck sales -- including pickups, sport utility vehicles, vans and minivans -- fell 4.8 percent. <br> <br> For the first four months of this year, sales of Ford vehicles are down 11.7 percent from the same period last year. <br> <br> Sales of Chrysler cars were 3.8 percent higher than those in April 2001, and light truck sales rose 2.7 percent. Chrysler year-to-date sales are down 5.3 percent. <br> <br> Ford&#39;s Jaguar and Land Rover units reported record sales during April, with increases of 26.9 percent and 29.2 percent, respectively. Its Volvo unit saw sales decline 13.8 percent compared with those during April 2001. <br> <br> Among other automakers, Mercedes-Benz USA recorded its best April, selling 18,476 vehicles, a 7.4 percent increase over April 2001. That includes a 10.6 percent rise in car sales and a 6.2 percent decrease in sales of its M-Class SUV. <br> <br> Subaru of America Inc.&#39;s April vehicle sales fell 3.9 percent from the same month in 2001, weighed down by an 8.6 percent drop in sales of its Forester SUV. <br> <br> Percentages are based on the daily sales rate; there were 26 sales days last month and 25 in April 2001. Year-to-date, there were the same number of sales days -- 102 -- as in the first four months of 2001. <br> <br> ------ <br> <br> On the Net: <br> <br> Chrysler Group, http://www.chrysler.com <br> <br> DaimlerChrysler AG, http://www.daimlerchrysler.com <br> <br> Ford Motor Co., http://www.ford.com <br> <br> Jaguar, http://www.jaguar.com <br> <br> Land Rover of North America, http://www.landrover.com <br> <br> Mercedes Benz, http://www.mercedes-benz.com <br> <br> Subaru of America Inc. http://www.subaru.com <br> <br> The Volvo Group, http://www.volvo.com <br> <br>

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