Ford Motor’s U.S. sales topped General Motors in March.By Chris Isidore, senior writerApril 1, 2011: 12:48 PM ET
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Strong sales at Ford Motor Co. allowed it to top rival General Motors in U.S. sales in March, the first time it grabbed the No. 1 position since 1998.
Ford (F, Fortune 500) sales rose 19% from a year ago to 212,777 vehicles, while GM (GM) posted a 10% rise to 206,621. It is the first time since a strike shutdown GM production in July and August of 1998 that Ford has been able to move ahead of GM.
Jessica Caldwell, senior analyst with Edmunds.com, said Ford’s sales were helped by increased incentives that attracted buyers. But she said the company also benefited from a lineup of fuel efficient models as gas prices topped $3.60 a gallon during the month.
“Having strong entries in subcompact, compact, and small SUV really helps when gas prices soar,” she said.
GM experienced strong sales for some of its fuel efficient cars too though. Sales of its new compact Cruze were up nearly 80% from the old compact Cobalt model it replaced.
Ford has been posting strong sales for the past several years, and is catching up to GM in U.S. market share. According to sales tracker Autodata, Ford captured 16.7% of the U.S. market in 2010, up 1.2 percentage points, while GM’s share slipped to 19.1% from 19.8%.
Other automakers, including Toyota Motor (TM), are due to report sales later Friday. Overall industrywide U.S. sales are forecast to be up between 12% and 17%. 
First Published: April 1, 2011: 12:40 PM ET
