Whipsawed by slumping sales and spiking fuel prices, Ford Motor Co. is trying to lure buyers with extra incentives on its flagship F-series pickups.
Ford is tacking on another $500 to $1,000 in rebates to its large pickups, Ford spokeswoman Lydia Cisaruk told Dow Jones Newswires. The offer is part of Ford's Drive on Us program, and goes until the end of the month.
Dealers also have extra, unspecified incentives to help close deals, Dow Jones reported.
Ford Motor's U.S. sales fell 7.1 percent in June and are down 4.1 percent through the first six months of the year.
The automaker's product mix has fallen into question lately, as many of its future offerings are targeted at segments that consumers are shying away from, including light trucks. Ford's new lineup of small, B-segment cars isn't scheduled to arrive until 2009.
The F series is planned to be restyled for the 2009 model year.
Ford is trying to jump-start sales after a bumpy second quarter that included a $123 million loss. But the company is far from a money crunch. Merrill Lynch analyst John Murphy noted in a July 20 report to clients that it has $23.6 billion in cash on hand.
