Automotive News Reports April Sales Will Fall Short Of First Quarter Pace.

In a copy written story in Automotive News Jim Henry and Mark Rechtin reported that April auto sales fell below the sales pace of the first quarter, even for some of the international brands that have flourished.

The story goes on to quote Jed Connelly, "April will fall short of expectations. But I don't think it will continue," said the senior vice president of Nissan North America.

It also quotes David Healy, an auto industry analyst for Burnham Securities Inc. in New York. “The seasonally adjusted annual sales rate for April should be about 16.1 million light vehicles, compared with a rate of about 17.3 million for the first three months of the year.” In a written report, Healy predicted total unit sales would be off 13 percent from the strong April 2000 figure. Through March, U.S. light-vehicle sales were off 5.8 percent to 4.1 million. Despite the somewhat stronger first quarter, most forecasters continue to expect U.S. light-vehicle sales this year of about 16.3 million units. That total would be 6.3 percent below the record 17.4 million sold in 2000. "After defying for three months the near-recession in the economy, horrible consumer confidence reports and a bear market, car and truck sales finally appear to be returning to earth," Healy was quoted as saying.