Ford posts best June sales performance in down market

In a month of sandbagged auto sales, Ford was the clear winner.

The Blue Oval posted a sales decline of “just” 10.7 percent in June, in a market that fell nearly 27.7 percent. It was by far the best showing of any major carmaker, helped by strong sales of its Fusion sedan and Escape crossover.

Ford is the only U.S. automaker that did not have to resort to a bankruptcy restructuring or take bailout loans.

Detroit rivals General Motors and Chrysler did not fare as well in June. GM, which filed for Chapter 11 on June 1, saw its sales slip 33.4 percent, though the freshly launched Camaro outsold the Mustang for the first time in more than a decade.

Chrysler, which recently emerged from bankruptcy, posted a 41.9 percent drop.

Import companies fared nearly as poorly. Toyota, which has lost billions in the last year, fell a staggering 31.9 percent, and Honda’s tally plummeted 29.5 percent.

Nissan sales fell 23.1 percent.

Just 860,101 vehicles were sold in June, though the 27.7 percent drop was the smallest in nine months.

Automotive News contributed to this report.

By Greg Migliore