Ford, General Motors And Chrysler Reported January Vehicle Sales Gains That Topped Estimates

By Craig Trudell - Feb 1, 2013

Ford Motor Co. (F), General Motors Co. (GM) and Chrysler Group LLC reported January vehicle sales gains that topped estimates, as the U.S. auto market begins a fourth consecutive year of growth with buyers returning to showrooms.

Ford’s deliveries of cars and light trucks climbed 22 percent while GM and Chrysler sales each rose 16 percent, according to company statements. The average estimates of 11 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg was for increases of 17 percent by Ford, 15 percent for Chrysler and 13 percent for GM.

The U.S. automakers will join Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) and Honda Motor Co. among automakers benefiting from about 500,000 more returning customers whose leases expire this year compared with 2012, according to researcher Edmunds.com. The phenomenon shows the auto market, a bright spot in the U.S. economy, still has further room to recover from the recession that ended in 2009.

“We’ve had more consumers coming back into the market to buy, and they’re getting financing,” Melinda Zabritski, a credit analyst at Experian Automotive, said in a telephone interview. “We’ll see returns similar to what we had pre- recession.”

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-01/chrysler-sales-rise-16-to-lengthen-monthly-streak.html