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Auto sales in March and first quarter down nearly across the board

Nearly every major automaker reported weak U.S. sales for March and the first quarter of 2019, citing a rough start to the year, but said a robust economy and strong labor market should encourage consumers to buy more vehicles as 2019 rolls on. GM, which no longer releases monthly sales figures, saw first-quarter sales fall 7 percent, with declines across all brands. Sales of Silverado pickup trucks fell nearly 16 percent and the high-margin Chevy Suburban large SUV dropped 25 percent. Ford also no longer releases monthly sales numbers, but is due to release its first-quarter sales figures on Thursday. According to industry data, Ford's sales fell 2 percent in the quarter and 5 percent in March. Ford representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment. FCA reported a 7 percent fall in U.S. sales in March and a 3 percent drop for the first quarter. All of FCA's brands dropped in March, except for Ram, which saw a 15 percent increase in pickup truck sales. "The industry had a tough first quarter, but with spring finally starting to show its face and continued strong economic indicators ... we are confident that new vehicle sales demand will strengthen going forward," FCA's U.S. head of sales, Reid Bigland, said in a statement. Toyota reported a 3.5 percent fall in U.S. sales in March and 5 percent for the first quarter, hurt by declining demand for its Corolla sedans and Camry vehicles. "While some of our competitors are abandoning sedans, we remain optimistic about the future of the segment," Toyota said in a statement. Nissan posted a 5.3 percent drop in sales in March, and its first-quarter sales were down 11.6 percent. Honda and Hyundai bucked the trend. Honda's U.S. sales rose 4.3 percent in March and 2 percent in the quarter, while Hyundai's were up 1.7 percent and 2.1 percent, respectively. Passenger-car sales suffered throughout the January-March quarter compared with the same period in 2018 as Americans continued to abandon them in favor of larger, more comfortable pickup trucks and SUVs, which are far more profitable for automakers. The battle for market share in the particularly lucrative large-pickup truck market intensified in the quarter, as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Ram brand outsold the U.S.' No. 1 automaker General Motors' Chevrolet-brand trucks. The two automakers have both launched redesigned pickup trucks.

Ford nets $924M in first quarter

Where General Motors' first-quarter 2015 financials showed growth in many major metrics, Ford's newly released numbers had falling figures in most of the vital categories. The automaker's Q1 revenue shrank to $33.9 billion, down $2 billion, and net income fell to $924 million, a $65-million drop. However, pre-tax profits increased slightly to $1.4 billion, $24 million more than in the same period in 2014, and operating margin rose to 3.6 percent, up 0.2 percent. Despite the less-than-stellar numbers, the Blue Oval thinks 2015 should be positive for the company. "The first quarter was a good start to a year in which our results will grow progressively stronger as the new products we have been launching start to pay off," CEO Mark Fields said in the financial announcement. The automaker has 15 vehicles to launch globally this year, and only three of them are already out. By the end of 2015, Ford predicts pre-tax profits of between $8.5 billion and $9.5 billion. In terms of vehicle sales, Ford slipped by 21,000 to a total of 1.568 million worldwide in the first quarter. North American sales dropped to 678,000, which was 39,000 less than last year, and pre-tax profits fell to $1.34 billion, a $160-million fall. The company explained the reductions on this continent as linked to the launches of the latest F-150 and Edge. In other major markets, European wholesales grew to 376,000 vehicles, a 9,000-car boost from last year. Pre-tax results there increased by $9 million, but the area still showed an overall loss of $185 million. In the Asia Pacific region, Ford moved 16,000 more units than in Q1 2014 to reach 366,000. However, due in part to preparing for new vehicles, the company only made $103 million there, a $188-million drop. The automaker released all of these figures as part of a PDF, which you can download here. Related Video:

Matt Damon is Carroll Shelby, with Christian Bale in Ford vs. Ferrari film

Right after we reported that one of the Le Mans-winning Ford GT40s is coming up for auction, word got round that its story will now be turned into a Hollywood movie. There will be an as-yet-untitled major motion picture that tells the story of Ford battling Ferrari in the 1960s, culminating in the Ford GT40's dramatic 1-2-3 finish in the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans. The movie has lined up an all-star cast, with "Batman" and "American Psycho" actor Christian Bale tapped to play key GT40 developer, test driver and racer Ken Miles, and "Punisher" actor Jon Bernthal as Lee Iacocca. The plum role of Carroll Shelby is going to Matt Damon, last seen driving across the Red Planet in "The Martian" or down a flight of stairs in the "Bourne" film series. The film's director will be James Mangold, known from directing last year's "Logan." View 37 Photos Autoweek reports that the original screenplay was based on A.J. Baime's book " Go Like Hell," but there will be a different screenplay written from scratch. Originally, "Go Like Hell" was to be a different project starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt. Meanwhile, the book will reportedly be turned into a TV series produced by Peter Dinklage of "Game of Thrones." And meanwhile some more, there are also competing Enzo Ferrari biopics in the works starring Robert De Niro and another starring Hugh Jackman that will also surely touch on the rivalry with Ford. While there's no guarantee yet that the GT40 biopic will match Steve McQueen's "Le Mans," we're got high hopes. It's a great story worthy of all the attention it's getting. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Celebrities Motorsports Rumormill TV/Movies Ferrari Ford Automotive History Racing Vehicles ford gt40