Light truck sales sag in February

Light truck manufacturers reported declining sales in February this year compared to 2001, with only DaimlerChrysler's retooled Ram pick-up posting a big gain. Ram sales jumped 19% to 32,253 units sold last month versus the 27,156 units it sold in February of 2001. However, DaimlerChrysler's light truck sales in North America showed an overall decline, dropping 6% to 134,370 units sold last month versus 142,568 units sold the year before. Ford Motor Co. said its overall truck sales were down 5% in February, dropping to 169,358 units compared to sales of 178,309 in February of 2001. While sales of Ford's F-Series pickups climbed 0.3% to 63,423 units last month, up from 63,220 units in February, 2001, overall Ford-brand trucks, including SUVs, declined 6.4%, with heavy truck sales dropping 27.7%. Toyota Motor Sales said its pickup truck sales dropped 8% to 17,896 units in February, down from 19,452 units in February of 2001. Its total truck sales were off 1.4%, dropping to 47,664 units last month, down from 48,361 the previous February.