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A pair of related stories from the benighted automobile industry led the day's news. The Story of the Day was the vote facing the United States Senate to extend Cash for Clunkers, the federal subsidy for buyers of fuel-efficient new cars. The lead on ABC and CBS was July's statistics for sales of cars: Ford Motors logged a 2% increase over last year and the industry's 158K total made it the best month since last September. NBC decided to lead with airlines instead: a Continental flight hit turbulence over the Caribbean and was forced to land in Miami where 14 passengers were taken to hospital.

"Extraordinary," was the announcement by a mock-shocked David Muir on ABC when he found that Ford managed to halt its decline in sales. He gave credit to its Focus with 35 mpg, its Fusion with 34 mpg and its Escape with 31 mpg. CBS' Cynthia Bowers visited a Ford dealership in the Chicago suburbs and found "an empty lot and a jam-packed showroom floor." CNBC's Phil LeBeau told us on NBC that this was the first time "in nearly two years" that Ford had posted a year-over-year monthly increase in sales.

As for Cash to Clunkers, CBS' Anthony Mason quoted the federal Transportation Department's statistics that on average the new cars purchased so far under the program have mileage that is nearly 10 mpg superior to the gas guzzlers they replaced. Sen Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat, had been opposed to extending the program from $1bn to $3bn, ABC's Jonathan Karl (at the tail of the Muir videostream) reported, but the DoT's averages convinced her that the efficiency savings were genuine. That leaves Senate conservatives, Karl added. He predicted that they will oppose extension but will not block a vote: "That means it will ultimately pass."

Andrew Tyndall 8/4/09 9:36:43 pm

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