GM denies report its CEO expects its sales to drop

DETROIT, Oct 8, 2002; Reuters reported that General Motors Corp. on Tuesday denied a report in an Italian newspaper that its Chief Executive Officer, Rick Wagoner, said that the automaker's sales would probably fall next year.

The Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported on Tuesday that Wagoner said in an interview that GM sales would probably fall.

"Their story is wrong," said GM spokesman Jerry Dubrowski. "Rick Wagoner never said that General Motors sales would be down. General Motors never gave a forecast yesterday for GM sales."

Wagoner did say that worldwide automotive sales across the industry would fall next year and that U.S. industry sales would also be down as the company has stated previously, Dubrowski said.