Thursday May 1, 07:46 PM
GM sales down 16 pct in April
CHICAGO (AFP) - General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM - news) said Thursday its US sales slid 16 percent in April from a year ago on weak demand for trucks amid soaring gasoline prices and a supplier strike that slashed fleet deliveries.
Adjusted for 26 selling days, two more than in April 2007, total domestic sales skidded 22.7 percent lower, GM said.
GM, the world's leading automaker, said it had sold 260,922 vehicles in the US in April.
Sales of fuel-hungry trucks, including sport utility vehicles such as the massive Hummer, plunged 26.5 percent to 140,098 vehicles, while car sales slipped a modest 0.2 percent to 120,824.
"Consumer preference is shifting and we're shifting with it as evidenced by our strong car and crossover sales," said Mark LaNeve, vice president of GM North America.
GM North America produced 242,000 vehicles in April, down 28 percent from a year ago.
Approximately 130,000 units of production were lost in April due to a strike by key supplier American Axle. Since the dispute began in late February, approximately 230,000 units of production have been lost, the struggling automaker said.
GM North America revised lower its forecast for 2008 second-quarter production to 950,000 vehicles, down 130,000 units from the prior forecast to reflect April production losses.
On Wednesday, GM reported a first-quarter loss of 3.3 billion dollars, citing weakness in the domestic auto industry amid a stalling economy and special charges.
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