Car Grills
DETROIT, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Automakers are expected to post a 10th consecutive month of U.S. sales declines on Wednesday as incentives on slow-selling trucks and SUVs and General Motors Corp's (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) employee pricing promotion failed to ignite demand from struggling consumers in August.
Analysts see automakers posting double-digit declines in U.S. auto sales for August -- adding to the longest monthly losing streak for the industry since the domestic recession of 2001.
U.S. auto sales may have been down anywhere from 14 to 19 percent industrywide in August from a year earlier, according to analysts, but should have been up slightly from the 16-year low reported in July.
August sales are expected to reflect the continued shift toward smaller, more economical passenger cars and away from large pickup trucks and SUVs, as well as some difficulty supplying fuel efficient vehicles customers want.
U.S.-based GM, Ford Motor Co (F.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Chrysler LLC [CBS.UL] -- which have a much higher percentage of sales linked to the larger vehicles than transplant carmakers -- are expected to have felt the most impact from the continued shift.
Auto Grills
