(Newswire.net — March 3, 2016) —Ford, Fiat Chrysler, Honda and Nissan have recorded double-digit growth, reports the Agence France-Presse, adding that sport utility vehicles (SUV’s) and pick-ups were once again amongst the best-selling. Low gas prices have opened customers appetite for “eaters of fuel.”
According to the Autodata agency, total sales in February jumped 6.9 percent to 1.34 million vehicles, compared to the same month last year.
On an annual basis, sales have reached 17.54 million units. This is an increase of seven percent from the year before.
Ford, the second ranking US car-maker, hit a sales growth of 20.4 percent in February, compared to the previous year, with 217,192 vehicles sold, which was beyond expectations.
Ford officials have said that the sales of sport utility vehicles reached a record last month reached, with a total of 65,016 SUV’s sold. This is 28 percent more than in 2015. Total sales of SUV’s increased 29.2 percent to 54,420 units.
The Ford F-Series pick-up also posted big sales, with a growth of 10 percent, which is the best result in the last ten years.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Italian-American multinational automobile manufacturer, the world’s seventh-largest automaker, announced that its US sales in February jumped 12 percent to 182,879 units, surpassing sales predictions.
Jeep vehicles also recorded a sales growth of 23 percent. Jeep Cherokee, Wrangler, Patriot and Compass have had the best February to date.
Five other brands reached a record in February, including Ram truck’s and van’s, and the Dodge Journey Crossover.
General Motors (GM), the largest US automaker, reported a sales decline of 1.5 percent compared to last year. This year February, GM sold 227,825 units. The reason for the decline was a 39 percent drop in rental deliveries. However, in the retail market, GM recorded a growth in the sales of cars and trucks by 6.6 percent to 179,958 units. The Chevy model remained the fastest growing brand in the auto industry in February with a jump in sales of 13 percent. Luxury brand Cadillac also recorded increases in sales by 4.2 percent, while the brands GMC and Buick registered a decrease of 8.3 and 1.9 percent.
Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, increased sales in the US in February by 4.1 percent to 187,954 vehicles, while Honda has achieved annual sales growth in the US market of 12.8 percent to 188,985 cars. Slightly lower annual growth rate of sales was recorded by Nissan – 11 percent to 130,911 units in February.
Volkswagen, after a scandal about falsification of data on emissions from its vehicles, announced a drop in sales in the United States by 13.2 percent to 22,321 units, while luxury brand Audi had a modest growth, reports AFP.