American automakers sales decline, Japanese post gains

General Motors and Ford Motor Company car sales continue to slide, despite ridiculous deals on financing and incentives.

Daimler Chrysler did post about a 1.6 percent gain.

On the other hand Nissan, Toyota, and Honda posted triple-digit gains in sales.

For months, Ford and GM have been losing market share as oil prices have risen, and gas-guzzling SUV sales have dropped.

Ford hopes to turn its slipping marketshare around with some new 2005 models, including the Escape Hybrid SUV. The new hybrid has been released in limited numbers and should hit most dealers by late summer 2005.

Of course, Japan will also be adding new hybrid vehicles in 2005 as well. In December, the Honda Accord hybrid will hit the streets. And in the Fall of 2005, Toyota will release two new hybrid vehicles to the American market, the Highlander hybrid SUV and the Lexus RX400h hybrid SUV.

The effect these releases have on American market-share will be highly anticipated, as the success of the Prius hybrid completely shocked American automakers. Still far behind in the hybrid vehicle race, American automakers continue to drag their feet.

We'll see what happens.