Auto Sales, Automaker | featured news

March is turning out to be the best month for auto sales in at least six years. Major automakers including Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, General Motors and Nissan all reported increases, with some reporting their best monthly totals since the start of the Great Recession in December of 2007.

At Detroit’s annual auto show, the carmaker’s chief executive said he expected the upward sales trend to continue this year, bolstering both Chrysler and its parent, Fiat.

Toyota has once again dethroned General Motors as the world's top-selling automaker. The Japanese company sold 9.7 million cars and trucks worldwide in 2012, although it's still counting. GM sold 9.29 million.

An auto industry research firm says an improving economy and a host of new models should push U.S. auto sales above 15 million this year.

Motor Intelligence estimates a 6.49 million sales pace for domestic trucks in November and a 5.55 million sales pace for domestic autos for a total of 12.04M

Strong pickup demand fueled a big jump in U.S. auto sales last month. GM's August U.S. sales rose 10 percent compared with a year earlier, while Ford's rose 13 percent and Chrysler's 14 percent. Most automakers reported strong gains as Americans flowed into dealer showrooms, drawn by model-year closeouts, low-interest financing and appealing new models. Analysts expect overall sales to rise around 20 percent when companies finish reported later Tuesday.

U.S. auto sales remained soft in July and all three Detroit automakers reported sales for the month that fell slightly short of analyst estimates, as high U.S. unemployment and weak consumer confidence kept would-be buyers on the sidelines.

After several years of heavily discounting their products, automakers are finding themselves back in the driver’s seat – pushing prices to record levels.

The auto industry looks set to ride the appeal of smaller cars to its best monthly performance since 2008. Chrysler reported a 34 percent increase in March auto sales.

Chrysler says its U.S. sales rose 26 percent last year as its turnaround gained traction. The company ended the year with a 37 percent increase in December sales on strong demand for the Jeep Wrangler and Chrysler 200 sedan. Chrysler is among the first carmakers to report sales Wednesday.