Car sales steady, Toyota Advances.

DETROIT -- The Detroit 3 surrendered more market share in August as sales incentives and gains by Asian automakers kept overall sales steady, analysts said today, a day before car makers release monthly U.S. sales results.
The results will provide a gauge of the pressures facing the Detroit 3 and an indication of the strength of U.S. consumer demand in the face of higher interest rates and a slowing housing market.
Overall U.S. auto sales on a seasonally adjusted and annualized basis are expected to be near 16.8 million units.
That would be down from 17.2 million units in July but up slightly from 2005 when sales softened as sweeping discount programs from earlier in the summer ended, analysts said.
Toyota Motor Corp., which surpassed Ford Motor Co. as the No. 2 player in the U.S. market in July, is seen on track for another strong month of sales gains due to its gains in the growing market for more fuel-efficient cars.

                                                                                       Another sign of the continued Strength of the Asian Automakers,

this proves once again why G.M. and Ford must turn up the heat

and remain competitive, sorry but after some twenty plus years

of competition, there is no more room to maneuver, either put out fantastic products that are successful the first time around or risk loosing more market share.

     J.