BERLIN, Oct 8, 2008 (AFP) - German carmaker BMW said Wednesday that the financial crisis led to a 15-percent plunge in unit sales in September, with deliveries in the United States alone dropping by more than a quarter.

'The crisis in the financial markets is currently making consumers highly reluctant to purchase, especially in the United States,' BMW said in a statement.

NEW YORK, Oct 8, 2008 (AFP) - US retail giant Wal-Mart reported Wednesday a slowdown in its US sales growth in September and predicted weaker results in October.

The figures, which exclude fuel and compare sales in stores that have been open a year, showed sales increased by 2.4 percent in September over 12 months -- lower than the 3.0 percent growth seen in August and July.

FRANKFURT, Oct 2, 2008 (AFP) - The German automobile federation VDA said Thursday it would be difficult to achieve its target of 3.2 million new car registrations this year after the figure slipped slightly in September.

DETROIT, Michigan, Oct 1, 2008 (AFP) - Ford Motor Co. posted a sharp 34 percent drop in US sales in September as the nation's economic woes took a bite out of auto sales.

DETROIT, Michigan, Oct 1, 2008 (AFP) - Toyota Motor reported a 29.5 percent drop in September US sales as a broad economic downturn took a massive bite out of auto sales.

The Japanese automaker has seen its sales fall 10.4 percent in the first nine months of the year to 1.8 million vehicles while September sales fell to 144,260 from 213,042 vehicles a year ago.

DETROIT, Michigan, Oct 1, 2008 (AFP) - General Motors heralded a 16 percent drop in US sales in September as a sign of its recovery Wednesday because it managed to post narrower losses than its competitors in a weakening economy.

DETROIT, Michigan, Oct 1, 2008 (AFP) - Chrysler has begun to offer better terms to customers as sales dropped 33 percent in September amid a broad economic slowdown, the company announced Wednesday.

The automaker launched a new incentive program offering customers up to 6,000 dollars in cash back on some purchases, or zero percent interest rates.

DETROIT, Michigan, Oct 1, 2008 (AFP) - US auto sales took a beating in September as financial turmoil on Wall Street emptied dealer showrooms and major automakers reported sales drops of up to 37 percent Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, Sept 30, 2008 (AFP) - Home prices in 20 major US cities plunged a record 16.3 percent in July from a year ago, according to a Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller survey released Tuesday.

The index for the 20 metropolitan areas fell 0.9 percent for the month of July, in the 19th consecutive monthly drop.

WASHINGTON, Sept 25, 2008 (AFP) - US new home sales plunged 11.5 percent in in August despite a sharp drop in prices, government data showed Thursday, in fresh bad news for the battered real estate sector.

The Commerce Department reported that sales of new one-family homes stood at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 460,000 units.

WASHINGTON, Sept 24, 2008 (AFP) - US existing home sales fell a steeper-than-expected 2.2 percent in August, industry data showed Wednesday, amid deepening worries over the worst real-estate slump in decades.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said sales of existing homes and apartments fell to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 4.91 million units.

LONDON, Sept 18, 2008 (AFP) - Retail sales in Britain rose in August for the second successive month despite mounting economic gloom, official data showed on Thursday.

On a monthly basis, retail sales grew by 1.2 percent in August from July, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a statement.

BRUSSELS, Sept 16, 2008 (AFP) - Demand for new cars has fallen in Europe, down 7.3 percent in July and a massive 15.6 percent in August from last year, hit by low consumer confidence and high petrol prices, a manufacturers group announced Tuesday.

WASHINGTON, September 12, 2008 (AFP) - US retail sales unexpectedly fell 0.3 percent in August, with strong automobile sales helping offset a steeper decline, the Commerce Department said Friday.

The consensus analyst forecast was for a 0.3 percent gain.

WASHINGTON, September 12, 2008 (AFP) - US retail sales unexpectedly fell 0.3 percent in August, with strong automobile sales helping offset a steeper decline, the Commerce Department said Friday.

The consensus analyst forecast was for a 0.3 percent gain.

FRANKFURT, September 5, 2008 (AFP) - German car maker BMW posted on Friday stronger August sales, mainly owing to its Mini model and Asian demand.

BMW said it sold 10,670 vehicles last month, an increase of 2.0 percent from August 2007, and roughly the same increase as seen in July.

WASHINGTON, September 3, 2008 (AFP) - Automakers saw another painful slide in US sales in August with consumers cautious amid a weak economy, monthly data showed Wednesday, raising the odds for a government aid plan for the industry.

WASHINGTON, September 3, 2008 (AFP) - Chrysler LLC reported Wednesday a 34 percent slide in US August sales, citing 'an industrywide slowdown, segment shifts and reduced fleet sales.'

CHICAGO, September 3, 2008 (AFP) - General Motors on Wednesday reported August US sales slumped 20.4 percent from a year ago to 308,817 vehicles, as the auto giant struggled with weak economic conditions and consumer caution.

The top US auto manufacturer said that despite the year-over-year decline, the sales total was its best so far in 2008.

CHICAGO, September 3, 2008 (AFP) - Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday its August US sales slid 26.6 percent from a year ago, citing a 'weak economy' and sluggish demand for large trucks and sport utility vehicles.

The number two US automaker said it sold 155,690 vehicles from its domestic nameplates and the Volvo brand, down 26.6 percent from the same month last year.

BRUSSELS, September 3, 2008 (AFP) - Retailers in the 15 countries sharing the euro saw their sales fall more than than expected in July, official EU data showed on Wednesday.

The volume of retail sales in the eurozone fell 0.4 percent from July and slumped 2.8 percent over 12 months, the European Union's Eurostat data agency said.

FRANKFURT, September 2, 2008 (AFP) - The number of German new car registrations fell by 10 percent in August from the same month a year earlier, owing to the loss of two business days this year, the German automobile federation VDA said on Tuesday.

A total of 214,400 vehicles were registered last month in Germany, the biggest European economy, a statement said.

FRANKFURT, September 2, 2008 (AFP) - The number of German new car registrations fell by 10 percent in August from the same month a year earlier, owing to the loss of two business days this year, the German automobile federation VDA said on Tuesday.

A total of 214,400 vehicles were registered last month in Germany, the biggest European economy, a statement said.

MADRID, September 1, 2008 (AFP) - Sales of new cars in Spain plunged 41.3 percent in August, the sharpest fall since 1993 as the economy sputtered to a halt, official automaker figures showed Monday.

The Spanish automobile manufacturers' association ANFAC said sales fell to 58,530 vehicles in August, with the downturn 'the worst since January 1993 when they fell about 51 percent.'

FRANKFURT, September 1, 2008 (AFP) - High energy and food prices kept Germans out of the shops in July, data showed Monday, the latest in a series of worrying signs for Europe's biggest economy.

Retail sales fell 1.5 percent in July from June, the statistics office said, much more than analyst forecasts for a drop of 0.4 percent.

FRANKFURT, September 1, 2008 (AFP) - German retail sales fell by 1.5 percent in July from the previous month, much more than expected for the biggest European economy, figures released on Monday by the national statistics service showed.

Analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast a drop of just 0.4 percent.

FRANKFURT, August 28, 2008 (AFP) - Volkswagen, the biggest European car maker, said Thursday it had passed US rival Ford to become the third biggest auto manufacturer in the world, behind General Motors and Toyota.

WASHINGTON, August 26, 2008 (AFP) - US new home sales rose 2.4 percent in July from June to a pace that fell short of market expectations, in a further sign of housing market distress, government data showed Tuesday.

WASHINGTON, August 26, 2008 (AFP) - US new home sales rose 2.4 percent in July from June to a pace that fell far short of market expectations, in a further sign of housing market distress, government data showed Tuesday.

WASHINGTON, August 25, 2008 (AFP) - US sales of existing homes rose in July to a five-month high but the glut of unsold homes hit a record high, according to industry data Monday that suggests the housing market remains in crisis.

WASHINGTON, August 25, 2008 (AFP) - US sales of existing homes rose in July to a five-month high as buyers took advantage of falling prices in the housing crisis, industry data showed Monday.

US retail sales declined a negative 0.1 percent in July in the face of slumping car and truck sales ...

US retail sales declined a surprise 0.1 percent in July confounding the expectations of most ...

WASHINGTON, August 1, 2008 (AFP) - US auto sales braked hard in July, automakers said Friday, as consumers avoided big-ticket spending in the face of rising unemployment, falling home prices and tight credit.

WASHINGTON, August 1, 2008 (AFP) - Chrysler LLC on Friday reported a 29-percent decline in US sales in July from a year ago to 98,109 units as consumers shied away from gasoline-guzzling light trucks and sport utility vehicles.

NEW YORK, August 1, 2008 (AFP) - Japanese automaker Toyota said Friday its US sales slumped 18.7 percent in July from a year ago as it struggled to meet fierce demand for fuel-efficient vehicles.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) USA, Inc. said its Toyota division sold 175,242 vehicles, a decrease of 17.9 percent compared with July 2007.

CHICAGO, August 1, 2008 (AFP) - General Motors reported a hefty 26.7 percent drop in July auto sales on Friday hours after unveiling a whopping 15.5-billion-dollar quarterly loss.

The troubled automaker said its July sales dived to 235,184 vehicles as high fuel costs and uncertain economic times continued to buffet American consumers.

CHICAGO, August 1, 2008 (AFP) - Ford Motor Co. said Friday its US sales slid 14.9 percent in July compared with a year ago as sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) and truck sales slumped amid high fuel prices.

The country's second-largest automaker predicted that ongoing tough conditions in the domestic auto market would only get worse.