(Adds data from Toyota, Honda)

 
   DOW JONES NEWSWIRES 
 

U.S. auto sales may have fallen as low as 9 million on an annualized basis in September as manufacturers re-evaluate production and incentive programs following the end of a government-run subsidy program.

Ford Motor Co. (F) remained the best performer among the top seven manufacturers as its U.S. light-vehicle sales fell 5.1% in September from a year earlier, though executives said a second month of higher pick-up truck sales may indicate improving economic sentiment among small-business owners.

Market leader General Motors Co. suffered a 45% slide and sixth-ranked Chrysler LLC was down 42%, while Nissan's North American sales slipped by 7%.

The two largest Japanese auto makers - Toyota Motor Corp. (TM) and Honda Motor Co. (HMC) - posted declines of 13% and 20%, respectively. Toyota said it hoped third-quarter momentum would extend into the last quarter of the year.

George Pipas, Ford's U.S. sales chief, said the industrywide seasonally adjusted annualized rate, or SAAR, fell to 9 million in September after spiking to 14.1 million in August. Chrysler estimated September SAAR at 9.4 million.

Pipas said sales picked up across the industry in the second half of September as manufacturers replenished inventory, despite lower incentive spending.

Ford has been the best domestic performer in recent months, helped by a refreshed product line-up. It sold 114,241 cars and light trucks in the U.S. last month compared with 120,355 a year earlier and 176,000 in August.

Mark LeNeve, GM's U.S. sales chief, echoed other executives by describing the fourth quarter outlook as "brighter," though the company didn't change its production estimate.

The drop in U.S. industry sales amid high unemployment and economic uncertainty contrasts with continuing gains overseas, notably in countries that still have government incentive programs in place.

Sales of cars, trucks and buses rose 3.5% in Japan last month, their second sequential year-on-year gain. In France, sales rose for the fifth straight month, rising 14.1% in September.

Ford said it gained 2 percentage points of U.S. market share in September despite a 14% fall in retail sales. Fleet sales rose 23%. GM's retail sales slumped by 46%.

Sergio Marchionne, Chrysler's chief executive, said the September performance was not representative of its future. Marchionne is leading the restructuring of the sixth-largest U.S. auto producer after Fiat SpA (FIATY) took effective control earlier this year.

For Toyota, total sales dropped to 126,015 from 144,260, jumping ahead of Ford for the third straight month. Passenger car sales dropped 11% while total light truck sales were down 15%. Honda's total was 77,229, with cars down 17% and trucks off 24%.

Among luxury auto makers, BMW AG (BMW.XE) reported a 3.6% year-on-year rise for September U.S. sales, with Porsche up 8.4%.

-By Doug Cameron, Sharon Terlep, Jeff Bennett and John Kell, Dow Jones Newswires; doug.cameron@dowjones.com