Ford Motor Co. eclipsed rival General Motors Co. in monthly sales for the first time since 1998, Automotive News reported Monday. Ford reported a 43 percent increase in U.S. sales gain in February as it sold 142,006 light vehicles last month – 471 more than GM, which also reported a more modest sales gain of 12 percent. It was Ford's fifth straight monthly increase in U.S. sales
The last time Ford topped GM in monthly sales appears to have been July 1998, when GM was crippled by a strike at its Delphi parts unit. GM has been ahead of Ford on an annual basis since 1931.
Meanwhile Toyota Motor Corp., which is struggling with ongoing recalls, reported a decline in sales. Toyota Motor Sales USA reported month-end sales of 109,583 vehicles, a decrease of 37.3 percent from last February.
The Toyota division posted February sales of 96,475 units, a decrease of 37.5 percent from the same period last year. Toyota's Lexus division reported February sales of 13,108 units, a decrease of 35.8 percent from February 2009.