Automobile sales in the United States had their best month for some time in March, with all major manufacturers recording growth in sales, apart from Toyota.
Chrysler sold 121,730 cars and light trucks during the month, a rise of 31 percent over the same month last year, while Nissan sales rose 26.9 percent from 98,468 last year to 121,141—making March an all-time record month for Nissan North America.
"Nissan enjoyed our best month ever, with the foundation of our fuel-efficient vehicles such as Altima, Sentra and Rogue leading the way," said Al Castignetti, vice president and general manager, Nissan Division.
Boosted by fleet customers, Ford sales rose 19 percent to 212,295, giving it a higher monthly vehicle total than General Motors—a rare event indeed. GM sales increased a mere 10 percent in comparison, to 206,621, after scaling back incentives offered earlier in the year.
Toyota was the only major auto maker to suffer a decline in March sales, after weaker truck sales.
Although Americans have started buying new vehicles again, their emphasis has shifted toward smaller models. Cars accounted for 52.5 percent of overall sales in March, with trucks making up the remaining 47.5 percent. Not long ago, these figures were the other way round.“It is something we are keeping our eye on," said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, US Marketing, Sales and Service.
Ford’s Fiesta set a US record with monthly sales of 9,787, up 56 percent over February.Fiesta’s retail share of its segment has increased every month since it was introduced last summer. The Explorer had its best sales month since June 2007, up 111 percent to 12,482.
