Ford, GM, Chrysler and Nissan all reported double-digit US sales increases last month, signaling the best April for car and truck sales in six years.
A rebound in pickup truck sales led the way, especially for the Detroit automakers. Small businesses are replacing aging trucks that they've kept since the Great Recession.
Ford's sales increased 18 per cent, with the F-Series pickup gaining 24 per cent. At Chrysler, sales rose 11 per cent, led by the Ram pickup, with a 49 per cent sales increase. GM also saw an 11 per cent sales jump, with Chevrolet Silverado pickup sales rising 28 percent for the month.
Nissan reported a 23 per cent sales gain over April of 2012. The only laggards were Toyota, with a sales decline of 1 percent, and Volkswagen, with a drop of 10 per cent.
Americans continue to buy new cars and trucks even though unemployment remains high and economic signals of late have been mixed. All automakers report monthly sales today, and industry analysts expect an overall increase of around 10 per cent over April of last year. That would make it the best April since 2007.
Chrysler Group LLC said it sold 156,698 cars and trucks last month. Sales of the Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV increased 27 per cent. Dodge brand sales rose 18 per cent, with the Dart compact car posting its best month ever with sales of nearly 8,100. But the Chrysler brand struggled, with sales falling 13 per cent.
Ford Motor Co. Sold 212,584 cars and trucks. The F-series pickup remains the best-selling vehicle in the US Sales totaled 59,000 in April. And sales of the redesigned Escape SUV rose 52 per cent.
General Motors Co. Reported sales of 237,646 cars and trucks. Even with gas prices on the decline, compact cars remain popular. Sales of the Chevy Cruze rose 21 per cent.
Nissan sales were boosted by demand for the recently redesigned Altima midsize car and Sentra compact. The company also took a step toward boosting future numbers. It announced price cuts on seven models that make up 65 per cent of its US sales. The cuts, effective on Friday, run from USD 580 on the top-selling Altima to USD 4,400, on the Armada big SUV.
VW's sales drop was led by its top-seller, the Passat midsize car, which fell 10 per cent.
Despite a slight drop, Toyota was optimistic about the rest of the year. Sales chief Bill Fay said the overall market increase is a good sign for all automakers, "especially with new products, low interest rates and plenty of pent-up demand.
