DETROIT – Asian companies grabbed more of the nation's auto market in January, dampening the good news for U.S. rivals who enjoyed their first monthly sales increases since employee discount deals ended last summer.
Asian automakers' sales jumped 11.4 percent for the month, while the traditional Big Three – General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group – saw their sales rise 4.6 percent, according to Autodata Corp.
The results were surprisingly strong for January, which is usually a slow month for the industry. Automakers said warm weather and heavy fleet sales pushed up the numbers. The seasonally adjusted annual sales rate was 17.6 million vehicles, indicating what sales would be for the full year if they remained at the same pace for all 12 months. Last year's annual sales totaled 17 million vehicles.
Toyota Motor Corp. said its January sales were up 14 percent, largely due to increases in the sales of the Prius hybrid as well as gains in the automaker's youth-oriented Scion brand. Toyota also bucked a trend toward lower truck and sport utility vehicle sales, reporting a 13 percent increase for those vehicles.
Honda Motor Co. said its sales were up 20.7 percent in January, its eighth consecutive record-breaking month.
South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co. also saw a 16 percent increase in January. Hyundai's truck and SUV sales dropped 19 percent, but car sales were up 32 percent.
General Motors reported a 5.8 percent increase for the month due to strong car sales. Truck sales were flat for the year, although GM said it saw a 23 percent rise in full-size SUV sales as its redesigned 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe hit the market.
Ford's U.S. sales rose 2.7 percent in January on the strength of its new lineup of mid-size sedans.
Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brand car sales rose 23 percent from last January.
DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group said sales of its Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep brands were up 4.9 percent. Sales of the Chrysler 300 sedan continued at a strong pace, up 26 percent over last January despite a lack of incentives, Chrysler's senior vice president of sales Gary Dilts said. Chrysler's car sales were up 20 percent but truck sales were flat.
Chrysler Group got back into the incentive game yesterday, announcing a zero-percent interest deal for February. Chrysler said the promotion covers minivans, the Chrysler Pacifica crossover, Dodge Ram light and heavy-duty pickups, the Dodge Dakota pickup and several sport utility vehicles, including the Dodge Durango, Jeep Liberty, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Commander.
