U.S. light-vehicle sales continued on an upward trend in August as many carmakers reported gains for the month. A total of 1.6 million cars and trucks rolled off dealership lots, putting overall sales up 5.4 percent compared to August of last year. According to the Los Angeles Times, U.S. auto sales turned in its best August in more than a decade. The numbers have been released by WardsAuto.com. Their data center provides the most trusted numbers for new car sales.
Most major automakers reported gains for the month, with the exception of General Motors. GM, the nation’s largest automaker, reported its overall sales fell 1.24 percent to 272,423 vehicles. Meanwhile Fiat Chrysler extended its streak of year-over-year sales gains to 53-consecutive months in August. The auto manufacturer said its U.S. sales increased 19.8 percent to 197,444 cars and trucks, the group’s best August sales since 2002. Ford, the second largest U.S. automaker, reported its sales were up barely 0.17 percent to 217,040 from 216,679 a year ago.
The big Japanese automakers posted gains in North American sales for August 2014 as well. Toyota, the largest Japanese car manufacturer, said it sold 246,100 cars and trucks last month, a 6.3 percent increase from the same month in 2013. Bill Fay, Toyota division group vice president and general manager, noted Toyota was the number one retail manufacturer in August, with Toyota SUVs recording their best sales month ever. Meanwhile, Honda’s overall sales increased just 0.36 percent from August 2013 results.
So far a total of 11.1 million cars and trucks have been sold here in the U.S. during 2014, a 5 percent improvement over where we were last year at this point. Even though August was not a breakout month in total sales in the U.S., the automotive market does show consistent improvement.
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