DETROIT -- General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are scheduled to offer a new batch of deals in order to end the year on a good note. The three big automakers in Detroit outspent their import rivals, but are still losing the market to the foreign automakers.

Sales of new cars and trucks were down 7 percent in October, but sales in September were strong, according to The Detroit News. "GM will likely strive for market-share targets at year-end, which we believe will translate into even more deals, most likely in December," said Merrill Lynch analyst John Casesa as reported in a research report.

In October, Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. gained 35.9 percent of the U.S. market. According to Autodata, that percentage is up from 32.4 percent a year ago.