Ford, Chevy Spar Over 2005 Sales Data

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) _ Ford Motor Co. told dealers Sunday that new data shows the Ford brand outsold the Chevrolet brand in 2005, contradicting General Motors Corp.'s claim that Chevy came out on top.

Monday, February 13th 2006, 10:26 am

By: News On 6

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) _ Ford Motor Co. told dealers Sunday that new data shows the Ford brand outsold the Chevrolet brand in 2005, contradicting General Motors Corp.'s claim that Chevy came out on top.

Ford said it will ask GM to stop referring to Chevrolet as the nation's No. 1 brand in its ads, but GM said it's standing by its numbers.

Full-year sales results released by both GM and Ford last month showed Chevrolet was the best-selling brand in 2005 with about 2.6 million vehicles sold, about 21,100 more than Ford.

But Ford spokesman Jim Cain said Sunday that new data from R.L. Polk & Co. shows Ford beat Chevrolet by 5,000 in the number of new vehicle registrations. Southfield, Mich.-based R.L. Polk collects and interprets automotive data.

Cain said Ford planned to contact GM as early as Monday. He said Ford has no plans to run similar ads, saying the company is thinking beyond competing with GM. If the new numbers hold, Ford can claim to be the best-selling brand in the nation for 18 consecutive years.

Registration numbers may not match sales because a vehicle could be sold in one year and registered to an owner the next, GM spokesman Jeff Kuhlman said. He said sales figures _ not registrations _ give a more accurate picture.

``I know 100 percent that our numbers are accurate,'' Kuhlman said.

The spat showed the intense competition dealers are facing in a market that is growing increasingly crowded. Earlier this week, Ford Americas President Mark Fields said there will be 300 nameplates in the U.S. market by the end of the decade, up from 215 in 2002.

Ford released the numbers at a meeting with hundreds of dealers Sunday at the National Automobile Dealers Association's annual convention. Both Ford and General Motors Corp. sought to reassure dealers that their businesses are on the right track despite billion-dollar losses and continued declines in U.S. market share last year.

Tom Addis, a Ford, Lincoln and Mercury dealer from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and the head of Ford's dealer council, said dealers are pleased with Ford's new plan to give them more warning of marketing efforts and promotions so they can order vehicles accordingly. Addis said dealers used to find out about ads right before they ran, but starting this year, they will know Ford's plans at least one quarter in advance.

Fields and Rick Wagoner, GM's chairman and chief executive officer, reviewed the automakers' restructuring efforts in their dealer meetings, which were closed to the public and media. The companies plan to cut a combined 60,000 jobs and close more than a dozen facilities each over the next few years to restore profitability to their North American divisions.

GM dealers said the meeting showed dealers generally favor the company's decision to lower overall prices and rely less on costly incentives. GM announced the new pricing last month.

Dave Westcott, who sells Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Isuzu and Suzuki vehicles in Burlington, N.C., said customers are hesitant to buy because they're so conditioned to incentives, but he believes the effort will benefit the automaker in the long run.

Dealers also said they were reassured by Wagoner's comments.

``They have a consistent message and they're staying on course,'' said Patrick Campbell, a dealer from Baton Rouge, La., who sells seven of GM's eight brands. Campbell said his operations are profitable, but he's getting squeezed by the cost of utilities.

Mark LaNeve, GM's vice president of sales and marketing, said the company announced a program that will help dealers retain customers _ and make more profit _ by improving their service and parts departments.