Ford April Sales Down 14.5%

Ford Motor Co. said Tuesday its April sales fell 14.5 percent and that it was cutting second-quarter production forecast by an additional 3 percent in response to slower sales.

Car sales were down 20.6 percent to 124,511, while truck sales fell 10 percent to 194,301. The results include heavy trucks and Ford's foreign brands -- Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover.

Ford said it was cutting its second-quarter North American production forecast by 40,000 vehicles to 1.19 million, 10 percent below the same period last year.

The world's second-largest automaker had said it would cut second-quarter production by 7 percent.

Ford's sales decline comes as the industry braces for a downshift from a better-than-expected first quarter. Ford President and CEO Jacques Nasser said Monday that he expected second quarter sales to run at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 16.5 million vehicles, off from the rate of 17.3 million in the first quarter.