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A top Ford executive expects industrywide U.S. auto sales to rise for the first time in more than two years this month, thanks largely to the government’s "Cash for Clunkers" program.

Sales may have risen as high as 13 million units on an annualized basis during August, Mark Fields, Ford’s president of the Americas, told reporters on Friday.

Retail sales at Ford Motor Co. in August have already surpassed last year’s levels with a weekend still to go, he said. Ford’s sales in July rose 2.4 percent.

Automakers are scheduled to report monthly sales on Tuesday. Many analysts are forecasting a year-over-year increase for an industry that has taken a beating during the recession, although year-ago levels were already depressed.

Ford was one of the top gainers from the clunkers program. The Ford Focus compact car and Escape crossover were among the top sellers, though Japanese automakers sold more vehicles than U.S. companies.

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