DETROIT -- U.S. auto sales fell 2.8 percent in November to 1,165,814 units, as Ford Motor Co. and General Motors continue to be hit by waning interest in their truck products.
DaimlerChrysler, Ford and GM saw sales fall for the month compared with November 2004. For the year to date, only DaimlerChrysler's sales are running ahead of last year.
Sales totals in this story reflect all brands sold in the United States.
Through 11 months of the year, industry sales totaled 15,510,200 units, up 0.9 percent.
The seasonally adjusted annual rate for November stood at 15.8 million units. That was up from 14.3 million in October, which was the lowest for this year.
In November, Ford Motor sales dropped 15.0 percent to 200,474 units, and GM sales dropped 7.7 percent to 276,777 units. Both automakers saw double-digit drops in truck sales for the month.
DaimlerChrysler sales for November dropped 2.7 percent from a year earlier to 178,202 units.
Meanwhile, Japanese rivals Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. and American Honda Motor Co. posted sales gains of at least 10 percent. That made November a record-setting month for both automakers.
Toyota's sales, which include Lexus and Scion, rose 10.0 percent to 169,665 units in November. For the year to date, its sales are up 9.9 percent to 2,057,017 units.
A 10.8 percent jump in American Honda's sales, which include the Acura division, puts the November tally at 105,860 units. For the year to date, the automaker's sales are up 5.8 percent to 1,329,672 units.
Sales at the Hyundai Group, which covers Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America Inc., rose 0.9 percent from November 2004 to 53,474 units this November. After 11 months, group sales stood at 669,075 units, up 6.0 percent
--Production cutbacks--
Both Ford and rival General Motors cut their expected vehicle production for the fourth quarter of this year.
Ford said it would build 790,000 vehicles in North America during the fourth quarter of this year. That is 20,000 units less than its prior forecast for the quarter, with trucks accounting for the entire cutback.
GM cut 20,000 units from its fourth-quarter production forecast, lowering it to 1.28 million vehicles. In the process, it boosted the number of cars it expects to build by 3,000 units to 483,000.
In the first quarter of 2006, Ford expects to build 885,000 vehicles in North America. That is 2.5 percent fewer than the 908,000 vehicles built in the first quarter of 2005.
GM's first-quarter production forecast calls for 1.25 million vehicles, up 6 percent from first-quarter 2005 production. The 67,000-unit increase is split into 35,000 units of cars and 32,000 units of trucks.
--Nissan down, VW up--
November also was a tough month for Nissan North America, which saw combined sales for its Nissan and Infiniti brands fall 3.9 percent to 77,212 units. But for the year to date, the automaker's sales are up 10.3 percent to 985,416 units.
November was a positive month for several other automakers:
>> Volkswagen, which includes the Audi and Bentley brands, posted a 8.0 percent increase in sales for the month. The German automaker got a boost from a 72.7 percent jump in VW Jetta sales and a record-setting month for Audi. For the year to date, VW sales are down 10.1 percent to 275,538 units.
>>BMW sales, which include the Mini and Rolls-Royce brands, rose 11.4 percent for the month to 26,884 units. Through 11 months this year, sales are up 4.2 percent to 278,525 units.
>>Subaru posted a 5.1 percent sales gain for November, to 14,521 units. For the year to date, sales are up 4.8 percent to 176,083 units.
>>Mazda sales rose 1.1 percent in November to 17,817 units. For the year to date, sales are down 1.6 percent to 239,183 units.
>>Suzuki sales jumped 18.2 percent to 5,707 units in November. After 11 months of the year, the Japanese automaker's sales are up 9.8 percent to 75,439 units.
>> Porsche sales rose 10.3 percent in November to 2,675 units. Year-to-date sales are up 1.0 percent to 29,072 units.
--Ford sees gain in car sales--
After 11 months of the year, Ford Motor's truck sales are down 7.7 percent, but car sales are up 2.2 percent. Overall, Ford Motor's sales are down 4.6 percent this year to 2,887,656 units.
The sales results cover the Ford, Mercury, Lincoln, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo brands.
But Ford's truck sales continue to fall. The automaker said its truck sales fell 17.9 percent in November and are down 7.7 percent for the year to date.
Sales of the popular Explorer SUV fell 51.8 percent in November compared with the same month last year. After 11 months, Explorer sales are down 29.8 percent vs. the same period in 2004.
At GM, sales of light trucks fell 11.4 percent in November, the automaker said. That includes a 9.6 percent drop in sales of the Chevrolet Silverado and 17.2 percent drop in GMC Sierra full-sized pickup sales.
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