Chrysler, Auto Sales | 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.

General Motors Co, the largest U.S. automaker, reported a 1.5 percent increase in September auto sales on the strength of its passenger car sales, while Ford Motor Co posted sales that were on par with its results from a year earlier.

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.

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.

Chrysler says its U.S. sales jumped 27 percent in October because of strong demand for its Jeep and Chrysler brand vehicles. It was the company's best October sales since 2007.

General Motors Co and Chrysler Group reported September U.S. auto sales gains of at least 20 percent, a sign that consumers have returned as vehicle inventories have risen after being crimped by the March earthquake in Japan.