Auto sales fall in April; Ford gains market share from Chrysler

DETROIT -- While its rivals stay afloat with billions in government aid, Ford grabbed a bigger slice of the American car market in April with record sales of its fuel-efficient Fusion. Those results pushed it past Toyota to retake its post as the nation's No. 2 car seller.

Overall U.S. auto sales reported Friday fell 34% from a year earlier. Automakers sold about 820,000 light vehicles in April, about 38,000 fewer than in March but still a big improvement over January's 27-year low.

"It seems we're bouncing on the bottom of the bathtub, but it's somewhat stabilized," Chrysler Vice Chairman Jim Press said in a conference call with journalists. "Maybe we've figured out where the bottom is."

Chrysler, which filed for a government-engineered bankruptcy Thursday, reported the sharpest decline among major automakers, falling 48%.

GM, the largest American automaker with 21% of the market, posted its smallest decline in four months at 34%.

Ford sold a record number of Fusions — 18,321 — with the unveiling of its 2010 gas and hybrid versions of the car.

"Fusion appears to have broken the hold on the midsize sedan segment," said Ken Czubay, Ford's vice president of sales and marketing. Ford began selling the Fusion with its 2005 model.

Still, sales of the rival Camry, Toyota's popular sedan, totaled about 25,000 last month, while Honda's Accord sedan sold more than 29,000.

Ford sold 133,979 light vehicles in April, compared with 195,665 for the same month of 2008. The figures exclude sales of heavy and low cab forward trucks. Sales rose from March to April, with Ford selling 2,878 more cars.