DETROIT, Mich. – Strong sales of transit vans, Fusion model and Lincoln-brand cars were not enough to offset managed F-Series volumes and planned reductions in daily rental volumes, as Ford Motor Co. reported a 3 percent decline in year-over-year U.S. sales to 180,175 units in September, reported Michigan Live.

The Dearborn automaker said in a release that daily rental sales were down 40 percent in September, while overall fleet sales fell 14 percent to 42,878 units.

At the same time, Ford Fusion had its best September since launching in 2005, as year-over-year sales of the model rose 9 percent to 21,693 vehicles.

Sales of the Ford Explorer were up just 1 percent year-over-year to 13,770 units, but it marked the best September performance for the SUV since 2006.

Transit Connect sales grew 30 percent to 4,132 vehicles, marking a record September.

Lincoln sales were up 12 percent to 7,257 units for the brand's best September result since 2010.

"Fusion is selling strong, with five straight months of record performance and California driving more than 20 percent of our retail growth this year – more than any other state," John Felice, Ford's vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service, said in the release. "Lincoln produced its best sales results in seven years with the recent introduction of our all-new Lincoln MKC."