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Ford Motor Co.’s sales analyst on Friday said the U.S. auto industry will continue its current pace and finish May on track for an annual sales rate of slightly more than 11 million new cars and trucks. April sales finished at an annual rate of 11.2 million vehicles, and industry analyst Edmunds.com has forecast a May rate of 11.4 million. The market will continue its modest recovery in the U.S., Ford’s George Pipas said. Mr. Pipas said he has yet to see any economic movements that would cause an unexpected sales jump. “May is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get month,” Mr. Pipas said. “This is where the consumer is.” He also said auto makers continue to hold off on incentives as they focus on profitability rather than quickly increasing market share. Much like what you can expect at the UFC 114 live stream this weekend. The forecast came on the same day that Ford Chief Executive Alan Mulally sidestepped questions about the auto maker’s plans to kill its slumping Mercury brand. “We have nothing new to add today,” Mr. Mulally said during a meeting with analysts earlier Friday. Mr. Pipas also declined to comment in a meeting with reporters in Detroit. Mr. Mulally and his executives are preparing to ask the auto maker’s board in July to drop the Mercury brand, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Mr. Mulally reportedly has the backing of key Ford family members . Ford executives have publicly supported the brand since 2006, when Mr. Mulally joined the auto maker. Mercury, executives had said, was a brand that appealed to women. Behind the scenes, however, the brand received few new models. Many dealers also support bringing Mercury to an end. Separately, Ford said it continues to work on consolidating its dealer network. Mr. Mulally hasn’t disclosed the target size other than saying his goal is to maker dealers more profitable overall. The focus continues to be on closing some of the weaker dealers in cities where there is a shrinking consumer base. The auto maker had 3,553 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury dealers at the end of 2009. General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC irked dealers last year during their bankruptcies when they presented plans to consolidate their networks. Chrysler cut new-vehicle deliveries to 789 dealerships. About 150 are fighting the move in arbitration hearings. Ford Optimistic on Auto-Industry Sales is a post from: Daily World Buzz Continue reading →