General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Chrysler Group led industry sales last month as their Asian counterparts, save for Honda, trailed. Well-received model redesigns and low loan rates helped the annualized sales pace reach 15.3 million, according to Autodata. The annualized rate was 14.1 million a year ago.
March new car and truck sales were nearly 1.5 million, a 3.4% year-over-year gain that saw GM, Ford, Chrysler, and Honda marketshare leaders. There was a strong uptick in truck sales, with Ford’s F-Series rising 16%, and Chrysler’s Ram jumping 25%. GM’S Chevrolet Silverado, which will be redesigned this quarter, had an 8% gain.
SUVs stayed strong, as well, with GM and Ford posting large gains, while models from Mazda, BMW, and Nissan were those automakers’ best segment last month. Hybrids and electric car sales lagged, with the Toyota Prius declining 23% and GM’s Chevy Volt down 35%. The Nissan Leaf almost tripled year-over-year, though, thanks to a base price reduction.
As several import automakers struggled last month, Honda reported a 7.1% increase, Volkswagen and Jaguar Land Rover sales were strong, Subaru posted its best month ever, and Porsche noted its best March to date.
