Ford's US sales drop 34.6 percent in September

DEARBORN, Mich. - October 1, 2008 - Ford is the first automaker to report monthly sales Wednesday. Industry analysts are predicting another down month for U.S. sales despite strong incentives from automakers.

Dealers have said customers are having trouble qualifying for loans under stricter credit guidelines from banks and finance companies. Several automakers also have either restricted or discontinued leasing.

At Ford, September car sales fell 19.4 percent from a year earlier, while truck sales dropped 39.4 percent.