Ford U.S. sales fall 34.6 percent in September

DETROIT (Reuters) - Ford Motor Co said on Wednesday its U.S. sales fell an unadjusted 34.6 percent in September to its weakest levels of the year due to a weakening U.S. economy and tight credit conditions.

"Consumers and businesses are in a very fragile place," Ford marketing chief Jim Farley said in a statement. "An already weak economy compounded by very tight credit conditions has created an atmosphere of caution."

In September, Farley told reporters the roiling U.S. financial sector and concerns on Wall Street had overtaken high gas prices as a reason for the slowdown in sales for the industry. Industry sales were down 11 percent through August.

For Ford, sales dropped to 120,788 vehicles in September from 184,612 vehicles a year earlier, including all of Ford's brands, the automaker said.

The results, which were not adjusted for one less selling day in September compared with a year earlier, landed hardest on big trucks and SUVs.

In its Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands, car sales fell 19.4 percent, crossover sales were down 30.2 percent, SUV sales plummeted 57 percent and truck and van sales fell 38.8 percent.

Sales of the Ford Focus compact car rose 4.7 percent to 10,346 in September from a year earlier. Sales of the Explorer SUV, once a top seller, plunged 67.3 percent to 3,498 and sales of the F-Series pickup fell 41.6 percent to 32,727.

Ford, which posted net losses of $8.6 billion for the first half of 2008, has announced accelerated plans to shift some truck production in North America toward fuel-efficient cars.

The automaker, which is launching a redesigned version of its top-selling F-150 pickup truck, said the sell-down of the current model is ahead of schedule.

(Reporting by David Bailey, editing by Maureen Bavdek and Andre Grenon)