FORD: A strong finish, thanks to trucks

Ford Motor Co.'s U.S. light-vehicle sales rose 1.3 percent in December, driven by strong light-truck sales. But those gains couldn't overcome a rough year for car sales, as Ford's full-year volume fell 0.9 percent from 2016. Still, the Ford brand retained the title of best-selling U.S. brand for the eighth year in a row, and the F series was America's best-selling truck for the 41st straight year.

Brands: Ford rose 2.4% in December and declined 0.9% on the year; Lincoln declined 17% in December and 0.5% on the year

Notable nameplates: F series up 2.1% in December to finish the year at 896,764; Mustang up 9.2% in the first full month for the freshened 2018 model; Fusion down 8.8%; Explorer up 31%; Edge up 7.6%; Escape up 1.8%; Focus up 9.7%; Lincoln Continental down 34%; Lincoln Navigator up 30%.

U.S. market share: 15% in Dec. 2017, up from 14.1% in Dec. 2016; 14.9% for all of 2017, up from 14.8% in 2016.

Incentives: $4,662 per vehicle, up 9.9% from a year earlier, according to ALG.