AlHijjah 7, 1435, Oct 1, 2014, SPA -- Discounts on pickup trucks helped keep U.S. auto sales on a positive path, companies said Wednesday. General Motors (GM) and Chrysler hoped to take advantage of Ford, which temporarily closed a truck factory to revamp its new aluminum-clad F-150. Ford, therefore, cut back on discounts in order to keep more trucks in stock during the shutdown. Ford reported that its sales dropped 3 percent to 180,175, and F-Series truck sales were down 1 percent to 59,863, marking the first time in seven months that Ford's monthly truck sales have dropped below 60,000. Ram pickup trucks helped Chrysler's sales increase 19 percent for the month. Chrysler sold 169,890 cars and trucks, its best September since 2005. Ram sales rose 30 percent to 36,612. Chrysler raised incentives on its Ram trucks by 22 percent from a year ago to $4,640. GM was expected to lead on incentives, and it paid off in big sales gains. GM spent just under $5,000 in incentives per pickup, roughly 30 percent, or $1,140, higher than a year ago. Also fueling the higher sales were crossover sporty utility vehicles (SUVs) such as the Cherokee, Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4.
