
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 6, 1995                   TAG: 9507060068
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: DETROIT                                 LENGTH: Medium

CHRYSLER SALES PUSH U.S. JUST SHY OF '94 MARK

Chrysler Corp. sold more cars and trucks in June than in any other month in its history, lifting the auto industry's U.S. sales to a level about even with last year's.

Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday that its June sales were up slightly from a year ago, while Toyota and Honda reported declines. General Motors, Nissan and Mazda had reported June declines on Monday.

It was the jump in Chrysler's volume that pulled overall sales in the United States to a level just 0.5 percent shy from a year ago.

The No. 3 automaker's performance, which broke a record from March 1994 and was 11.7 percent ahead of June 1994, proved the power of price cutting. Chrysler is paying rebates or offering other purchase or lease discounts on most of its products.

``Spurred by some timely incentive offers, consumers rushed our dealerships,'' Theodor Cunningham, Chrysler executive vice president, said in Wednesday's sales report.

Analyst Art Spinella of CNW Marketing-Research in Bandon, Ore., said his company's measure of the aggregate discounts offered to buyers and dealers of all brands last month was at its highest level since January 1992.

For the year's first six months, the industry's U.S. sales were down 3.1 percent from 1994's level. Ford was the only Big Three automaker ahead of last year and Toyota was the only Japanese manufacturer that was up.

Most of the European car makers showed solid improvements; Volkswagen's six-month total was up 18.3 percent.

Ford's overall sales continued to ride on the strength of its trucks, which set a 21st consecutive monthly record. Ford light truck sales were up 7.7 percent from a year ago, while its car sales were off 5.7 percent.

Toyota's June sales were down 2.8 percent. Honda's were down 3.4 percent.

``The auto industry, like the economy, has slowed significantly over the first half of 1995,'' Yale Gieszl, executive vice president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., said in the No. 1 Japanese automaker's report.

The industry's sales have lagged last year's since January, prompting analysts and company economists to scale back forecasts that 1995 would be a better year than 1994. Most now believe that light-vehicle sales in this country will be about equal to last year's 15.1 million.

by CNB