Saab, which has introduced two new models in recent months, announced sales of 15,977 cars, an 11 percent rise from July 1997.

Consumer spending is down, and the department stores are already announcing pre-Christmas sales, with discounts up to 50 percent.

Yesterday, the company announced preliminary third-quarter sales and earnings increases of more than 300 percent.

"You have to be very careful to balance building up an image with announcing sales."

But Ford and foreign automakers announced strong sales last month and balanced inventories.

Auto issues led an advance in stocks after Chrysler announced strong monthly sales.

The company recently announced sales to China and Japan totaling more than $5 billion.

Chrysler announces sales only once a month; interim totals are estimated by Ward's.

The company announced sales of 174.9 billion yen ($1.57 billion) in the six months through Sept. 30, up 11.8 percent from a year earlier.

Some showrooms announce sales at the last minute.