Ford (F) Zooms On End 2009 Sales Surge

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) posted a 33 percent sales gain in December as U.S.Ford Motor Co (NYSE: F) posted a 33 percent sales gain in December as U.S. auto sales ended 2009 on an upswing after a year when GM and Chrysler went bankrupt and China overtook the United States as the biggest car market.

Sales in the United States in 2009 plunged to just 10.4 million cars and light trucks, the lowest level in 27 years. But in December, Ford sales surged 33 percent from a year earlier and it gained market share for the full year, reversing a slide that began in 1995. Toyota Motor Corp. (ADR) (NYSE: TM), battling to restore an image for market-leading quality and safety, was just behind Ford with a 32 percent sales gain for December.