Ford Sales Skid 12.2%

Ford Motor Co. said May 1 its U.S. sales slid 12.2% in April from a year earlier as customers moved away from fuel-hungry sport utility vehicles.

The number two U.S. automaker said it sold 220,727 vehicles in April.

Ford reported an 18.3% slide in its truck category sales including SUVs while passenger cars were down just one percent. Ford also noted a sharp decline in sales to rental fleets which typically show little or no profit.

"Higher gas prices are accelerating the industry-wide shift from trucks and traditional sport utility vehicles to cars and crossovers," the company said.

The company said it drew interest in its newer cars like the redesigned compact Focus sedan, which saw a 43.5% jump in sales.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2008