• Financial Times, Wednesday, June 4, 2008 10:15 AM

After wearing the crown as the U.S.'s top-selling vehicle for 26 years, Ford's F-Series pick-up truck was deposed by Honda's Civic salon last month. The F-Series was also outsold by Toyota's Corolla and Camry salons, and by the Honda Accord, highlighting a stampede by Americans to less fuel-thirsty cars.

"The dramatic increase in car sales appears to be one of the most profound shifts in automotive buying patterns in more than a decade," says Dick Colliver, evp of Honda's US subsidiary. Tumbling SUV and pick-up sales resulted in sharp overall sales declines at the three Detroit-based carmakers, General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, which depend more heavily on these vehicles than foreign rivals.

GM's sales fell 27.5% compared with May 2008, due partly to an 11-week strike at a key supplier. Ford reported a 16% sale decline, Toyota was down 4.3%, and Chrysler's sales plummeted by a quarter. Honda bucked the trend, with a 15.6% surge.

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