Auto sales tank without 'clunkers' incentive

As widely anticipated by auto industry experts, sales of new cars fell last month as consumers lost motivation to hit dealer showrooms without a little push from Uncle Sam in the form a federal rebate. Detroit's Big Three and most Asian automakers all reported lower September sales Thursday.

Ford Motor Co. (F), which benefited wildly from the Obama administration's "cash for clunkers" program that ended Aug. 24, reported sales slipped 5.1 percent in September, selling 114,241 cars and light trucks, down from 120,355 in the same month a year ago. Some models, however, saw greater demand, with sales of Ford's popular F-series trucks rising 3.5 percent and those of the new 2010 Taurus sedan increasing more than 60 percent.