Ford outsold Chevy?

Ford fans stand proud: Chevrolet might not be America's best-selling brand after all. Ford Motor Co. began calling the results of the 2005 brand contest — which has had Chevy claiming victory — into question Sunday after registration data from R.L. Polk & Co., a Southfield-based auto research firm, shows more Fords than Chevys were registered last year.

In 1998, a similar dispute between Lincoln, which is owned by Ford, and Cadillac, which is owned by General Motors Corp., ended with an apology.

At the time, GM executives sent Ford a letter saying the company was sorry for fabricating its sales numbers in its zeal to take the crown as the top luxury maker in the United States.

Ford executives came short of accusing GM of fudging its numbers this time around, saying only that it intended to investigate the matter.

Al Giombetti, president of Ford, Lincoln Mercury marketing and sales, declined to elaborate on the discrepancy.

GM spokeswoman Deborah Silverman said the automaker stands by its sales results. "We're confident Chevy was the sales leader for 2005," she said. More at Detroit Free Press