Ford outsells GM in the US for the first time since 1998

Ford Motor Co reported a jump in US sales of 43% in February, selling more cars than its great rival General Motors who posted a more modest rise of 11.5%.

Ford's total sales in February hit 142,285, compared with GM's 141,951. This was the first month that Ford outsold its rival since 1998, when GM's sales were hit by a strike.

"The strength of our new products and Ford's leadership in quality, fuel efficiency, safety, smart design and value are resonating with customers," said Ken Czubay, at Ford.

GM admitted it benefited from customers abandoning Toyota over the Japanese firm's recall problems. "We got what we thought was our fair share of Toyota sales," said Mike DiGiovanni, GM executive director.

Toyota reported a fall in sales of 8.7% for the first full month since it announced major recalls in January.

The fall in sales was not as big as the company had feared. "I'm surprised that we sold as many vehicles as we did," said Bob Carter, a Toyota group vice president.

Nissan, Honda and Hyundai also reported double-digit sales growth in February.