Duncannon, Pa. - Ford seems to be scooping up more car buyers from its two American competitors, who are now under bankruptcy protection.

Maguire's Ford in Duncannon reports sales last month jumped nearly 50 percent from April.

"We're doing great," sales manager Bob Sova said. "We're happy to be Ford dealers. We're happy to be in business."

Nationally, Ford reports a 20 percent increase over the same period, despite the fact that automakers are facing the worst sales climate in almost three decades.

"We saw a little bit of fear out there, absolutely," Sova said. "People were holding back a little bit. But I don't see that any more. I really don't."

So what's behind it? Consumer confidence, according to Sova.

"We don't have warranty issues," he said. "We don't have depreciation issues that the other manufacturers are going to have in the future. Ford values are going to remain steady."

Unlike Chrysler and GM, Ford is the one Detroit-based automaker that hasn't declared bankruptcy.

"We didn't put our hand out. We're not going to at this point in time," Sova said.

Going 'green' is something else that's driving sales.

"People really started to focus on something with the best fuel mileage they can get," said sales associate Darin Kreiss.

Sales of the Ford Fusion are up more than 9 percent. There's now a hybrid version.

"This car is capable of doing over 700 miles on a tank of fuel," said Kreiss.

It's powered by gas and electric with a battery pack hidden in the trunk.

"The forethought that they had to restructure things thinking this was going to happen in the market has put us in the position that we're in right now," Kreiss said.

That position isn't a fluke, according to Maguire's, which is expecting long-term success despite some of their competitors' failure.

"I don't see the bad news. I just see the good news, Sova said. "We're up, nationally, we're up, homes are selling. All I'm seeing is positive. Keep buying American, keep supporting American guys. We'll come through to the other side."

Some economists argue GM has the advantage with government loans and protection. Ford, however, has announced it will increase production by 10,000 vehicles - in sharp contrast to GM, which is downsizing and plans to close more than a dozen plants.

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