Ford and Chrysler To Offer Discounts on 2009 Model Pickups

2009 Dodge Ram

Detroit October 20,2008; Shradhha Sharma writing for Reuters reported that car makers Ford Motor Co and Chrysler LLC, are offering discounts on their newest models to boost sales of their North-American pickup trucks, the Financial Times reported.

Ford will be offering a discount on the 2009 version of its F-150 and Chrysler, which is owned by private equity owner Cerberus Capital Management (CBS.UL), will be offering incentives on the Dodge Ram, the paper said.

A discount of $2,500 will be offered for every trade-in of the F-150, the FT said. It also cited online car pricing service Edmunds.com, which deals in the 2009 Ram, and is giving away up to $2,000 in cash discounts.

The perks helped boost sales of large pickups last month to almost 16 per cent of the U.S. light-vehicle market, from a low of 8.6 per cent in May, the paper said.

Sales of the F-Series, which has been Ford's top-selling vehicle for the past 31 years, were 39 per cent lower in September than a year earlier, and Ram sales were down 28 per cent, the FT said on its website.

Calls to Ford seeking comment were not immediately returned and Chrysler could not be reached for comment.

Editing for Reuters by Quentin Bryar