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U.S. Automaker Sales down

U.S. sales of cars and trucks from traditional U.S. automaker favorites likely dropped in September 2005 as big employee pricing discount programs lost their allure with consumers and gas prices soared in the aftermath of hurricanes on the U.S. Gulf Coast, analysts have said.

Also, Japanese automakers have been relentlessly increasing their share of the U.S. market, stealing sales from Ford and GM, which have been struggling with issues ranging from excess inventory to a shift in consumer taste away from larger sport utility vehicles.

While U.S. automakers General Motors and Ford Motors were expected to report slumping sales, their Japanese rivals, including Toyota Motor Corp. will post gains.