The March 2013 new vehicle sales figures have been published and the results showed a continued rise in U.S. light-vehicle sales, as major automakers posted strong monthly numbers. A total of 1.45 million cars and trucks were sold last month, a 3.4 percent improvement over March of 2012. According to Auto Week, March was the industry’s best month since 1.48 million light vehicles were sold in August 2007. The numbers have been released by WardsAuto.com. Their data center provides the most trusted numbers for new car sales.
General Motors, Ford and Chrysler all posted strong March auto sales. General Motors, the nation’s largest automaker, reported that it sold 245,950 units last month, a 6.4 percent increase over March 2012. Ford, the second-largest U.S. automaker, said it sold 231,127 vehicles last month, up 5.2 percent over the same month last year. According to the New York Times, this was Ford’s best monthly performance since May 2007. Chrysler said it sold 171,120 cars and trucks in March, a 5.5 percent improvement over a year earlier.
The big Japanese automakers all posted sales increases in March. Toyota, the largest Japanese car manufacturer, reported that it sold 205,342 vehicles in March, a 1 percent gain from the same month in 2012. Stock market analysts were disappointed in Toyota’s performance. Honda posted the strongest results of the Japanese companies. The company said it sold 136,038 units for a year-over-year gain of 7.1 percent.
So far a total of 3.68 million cars and trucks have been sold here in the U.S. in 2013, a 6.3 percent improvement over last year at this time.
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