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"We did see a strengthening in the first week and a half or two weeks across the brands, but we have seen a little bit of weakening since then," Jim Farley told reporters on the sidelines of the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit.

He said industrywide January sales appear to be tracking about where Ford expected -- an annual rate of about 10 million vehicles.

Ford, the No. 2 U.S.-based automaker by sales volume behind General Motors Corp GM.N, has sought a $9 billion line of credit from the U.S. government as insurance against the economy worsening.

Farley said that of Tuesday, Ford had enough liquidity to fund its product plans.

He said he believes the new Obama administration will put in place some type of program to spur consumer demand, whether with a direct stimulus package or some other strategy.

"One thing we are really encouraged and think is critical is a fleet modernization element for any policy change," Farley said. "We believe our new fuel-efficient vehicles are the best step forward for America."

He added, "Fleet modernization, especially if it focuses on fuel efficiency, could be a great tactic for the new administration."

Asked about the alliance between Chrysler LLC [CBS.UL] and Fiat () announced on Tuesday, Farley said Ford was focused on its own plans and products.

"We have to stick to our knitting and do as I said -- a world-class launch of all these new beautiful products we have," he said. (Reporting by David Bailey; editing by John Wallace)