During the launch of a new small car in New Delhi, India, Ford CEO Alan Mulally told reporters that the company expects U.S. car sales to reach 11 million in 2009 and then rise to 12.5 million in 2010 and 14.5 million in 2011, the year Ford vows it will break-even.
Edmunds.com promptly threw cold water on that forecast.
“That’s pretty optimistic for 2009,” said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds.com senior analyst. “The industry would have to average 1 million sales for the next four months to achieve Ford’s predicted 11 million.” Edmunds.com forecasts full-year sales will come in just under 10.2 million. For the year through August 31, automakers in the U.S. have sold 7,048,897 vehicles.
Edmunds.com noted that September will not hit the 1 million mark. Edmunds.com’s latest forecast calls for September to see the lowest Seasonally Adjusted Annualized Rate of the year at about 8.8 million vehicles in the Cash for Clunkers aftermath. This is the lowest level in nearly 28 years, and ties the worst month on record, which was December 1981. The weak September data followed a bump in July and August caused by the “Cash for Clunkers” program, which officially ran from July 24 to August 24. Sales were 11.1 million in July and 13.7 million in August.
US sales were 16.2 milion in 2007, falling to 13.2 million in 2008 as the global recession and high fuel prices took their toll on sales.
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