DETROIT — Automakers reported on Tuesday that March sales of new cars and trucks were the highest monthly total in five years, providing more evidence of a sustained turnaround in the industry.
According to Autodata, 1.45 million vehicles were sold during the month, a 3.4 percent improvement over last year, as a strengthening housing market and low interest rates spurred consumers and businesses to replace aging models.
It was the best monthly performance since 2007, executives and analysts said, and it reinforced their sales forecasts for the full year at more than 15 million vehicles.
“Even though consumer confidence has been up and down this year, there are ‘wealth effects’ that are making Americans feel comfortable finally buying new cars they’ve been waiting for,” said Lacey Plache, an economist for the auto research site Edmunds.com.
General Motors, the largest American automaker, said it sold 246,000 new vehicles during March, a 6.4 percent increase over the same period last year.
While sales of its biggest brand, Chevrolet, were flat, G.M. said sales of its Cadillac brand increased almost 50 percent and Buick sales rose 37 percent.
G.M. benefited from a steadily growing demand from the construction industry for new pickup trucks. Sales of the Chevrolet Silverado increased 8 percent, and the company expects even better results when it begins delivering a newer-model truck to showrooms over the next few months.
“Trucks have improved in lock step with the housing market,” said Kurt McNeil, head of the company’s sales operations in the United States.
Ford Motor said it sold 236,000 new vehicles during the month, a 5.7 percent improvement over a year earlier and the company’s best monthly performance since May 2007.
The results were driven by the heart of the Ford lineup. Sales of the midsize Fusion sedan topped 30,000 for the first time, and demand for the Escape sport utility vehicle was up more than 27 percent.
Ford also posted a 16 percent gain in sales for its F-series pickup, the best-selling vehicle in America.
“Full-size pickup demand continues to gain momentum, outperforming the industry for the third consecutive month,” said Ken Czubay, Ford’s marketing and sales chief for the United States.
Chrysler sold more than 171,000 vehicles in March. Its 5 percent improvement over a year ago was smaller than in some recent months, and it underscored the company’s need to keep refreshing its showrooms with new models.
The company said sales of its Ram pickup truck increased 25 percent over the previous year, and the new Dodge Dart compact car had its best month since it was introduced last summer.
Chrysler is revamping its cornerstone Jeep brand with a new version of the Cherokee S.U.V. and other models. Analysts said broadening the Jeep lineup was crucial to Chrysler’s chances of returning to the double-digit monthly growth it had in 2012.
“Chrysler’s March sales story is one of old and new,” said Michelle Krebs, an analyst at Edmunds.com. “Jeep desperately needs the Cherokee to get back into positive territory.”
The Japanese automakers all reported sales increases in March. Toyota said it sold 205,000 vehicles in the month, a 1 percent gain from a year earlier. While the company more than doubled the sales of its redesigned Avalon sedan, its top-selling Camry declined 11 percent.
Nissan sold 137,000 vehicles, a 1 percent improvement over last year. The all-electric Nissan Leaf, which is now produced at the company’s Tennessee assembly plant, had its best monthly sales of 2,200 vehicles.
Honda posted the strongest results of the Japanese companies, selling 136,000 vehicles for a year-over-year gain of 7.1 percent. Much of the improvement was caused by a 26 percent increase in sales by its Acura brand.
Both Toyota and Honda are back at full strength from lingering inventory problems caused by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, and they are aggressively updating their showrooms with new products.
All the automakers are advertising heavily to bolster spring sales. One of the busiest has been Volkswagen, which is rapidly expanding its American operations.
Volkswagen sold 37,000 vehicles in the month, a 3.1 percent increase from a year ago. The company said that was its best March since 1973, when it was among the few import brands available in the United States. Adding in the company’s Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini brands, it sold 51,226, a 5.8 percent increase.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction: April 2, 2013
A previous version of this article misspelled the surname of G.M.’s United States sales chief. He is Alan Batey, not Batley.
Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/03/business/car-sales-keep-up-their-streak.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
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