GM sales off 11%, while Ford up 6%; Chrysler up 1%

General Motors today reported sales fell 11% -- more than expected -- in September from a year ago, while Detroit rivals Ford reported a nearly 6% sales gain for September and Chrysler Group eked out a slight 1% gain.

GM, at 187,195 sales, outsold Ford by only about 2,000 for the month.

None of the automakers are expected to report big year-over-year gains for the month because September 2013 had two fewer selling days than last year and the big Labor Day weekend fell in August this year.

But the annualized selling rate for the month is forecast to continue the year's momentum at a very strong 15.3 to 15.7 million.

Highlights from the automakers' reports:

GENERAL MOTORS

• Buick sales were up 6% and Cadillac rose 10%, but the Chevrolet volume brand was down 14% and GMC trucks fell 9.7%. GM's new pickup trucks a just now fully available in all configurations at dealers, but there have been reports of more demand than supply of the most popular versions.

• Retail sales were down 6%, fleet sales were down 27%. Retail sales were up 2 percent on a selling day-adjusted basis.

• Sales of the redone Malibu, which has struggled, were up 29% and retail sales of the new Impala were up 64% (though the old Impala had become heavily a fleet product).

FORD

Ford's 6% gain to 185,146 was good for its best September since 2006, before the Great Recession.

The biggest sales driver was the continuing boom in pickup truck sales, with the F-Series trucks posting a fifth consecutive month of more than 60,000 sales.

The redone Fusion mid-size sedan also continued its strong year with sales up 62% to 19,972, while the Fiesta subcompact was up 29% to 5,043 -- and Ford said these cars were building sales in markets where Ford has been week in the past.

"We're particularly encouraged by the strength of the Fusion and Fiesta, especially in coastal markets," said Ken Czubay, U.S. sales head, in a statement.

Ford said Fusion retail sales were up ! 59% in the West and 26% in the Southeast, while Fiesta is up 41% in the West.

Continuing to show signs of life for the nearly moribund Lincoln brand, the new MKZ sedan sold 2,874, up 12%, adding a fifth monthly best, Ford said.

CHRYSLER

Chrysler's sales of 143,017, were just enough to extend its string of monthly sales increases to 42.

Driving the month were pickup trucks, with Ram Truck the leading brand with sales up 8%. The Chrysler and Dodge brands also posted gains.

SUVs also were a highlight, with the sales of the refreshed Jeep Grand Cherokee up 19% and the refreshed Dodge Durango up 66%.

Reid Bigland, Chrysler's U.S. sales head, expects industry sales to be down slightly when all makers have reported today, so was happy to show a gain. "Even though industry sales dipped during September, Chrysler Group still managed to eke out a slight sales increase for the month," said Bigland in statement.

Highlights:

• Ram Truck's September was its best since 2007.

• Dodge brand sales were up 3%, and the Dart compact, which struggled at launch, managed a fourth month of year-over-year gains, up 51% to 7,922.. Sales of the Charger sedan were up 49%.

• Chrysler brand brand was up 2%, with the 300 sedan up 6%.

• The Jeep brand, with the Liberty gone since last August and still no Cherokee replacement for sale, dropped 5%, despite the Grand Cherokee gain and Compass sales up 27%.

• Fiat sales fell 24%, ending an 18-month string of gains. The new four-door 500L just srriving sold 1,031, helping make up for a 49% plummet in sales of the 500 coupe to 2,126.

General Motors will automakers will be added to this post when it reports this morning.