Clunkers Drives Ford's August Sales Up 17%

Cash for Clunkers reverberated through August auto sales reports released today, with Ford and Hyundai scoring big jumps, the Wall Street Journal reports. The winners and losers:

• Ford's light vehicle sales rose 17% year-over-year, with the Focus and Escape both in the top eight most popular vehicles purchased through the Clunkers program.
• Hyundai's sales surged 47%.

• GM plummeted 20%, while its vehicles were among the most traded in under the program.
• Chrysler's sales dropped 15% from the year-ago period. The firm blamed inventory shortages on its low sales.
• Nissan saw an August year-over-year sales decline of 2.9%.