Two of the three big U.S. automakers recently posted a jump in sales for the month of January, with General Motors reporting slips.
Chrysler gained the highest jump in sales out of the three automakers, reporting a 44 percent sales hike to 101,149 vehicles sold in the month, the best January sales in four years for the car manufacturer. The sales jump for Chrysler also marked the 22nd consecutive month that sales increased.
Ford also reported a sales jump of 7 percent to 136,710 vehicles. The Ford Focus' sales increased 60 percent to 14,400 units, which is the best in nine years. The F-Series trucks also contributed to gains for the automaker, with an 8 percent jump.
“January started off with solid sales versus year-ago levels,” said Ken Czubay, Ford’s vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service. “Ford saw the same solid month, with smaller vehicles in higher demand. Escape continued its record-setting run, and Focus set the pace for car sales in California, Texas and the Southeast.”
General Motors saw a 6.1 percent decline in sales, which was a better number than expected by Edmunds, which predicted an 8.9 percent drop.
General Motors took the No. 1 spot in vehicles sales in 2011 from Toyota, breaking the 9 million mark. With the American auto market now showing positive numbers, possible car buyers might soon be applying for an auto loan to secure one of the brand's vehicles.
