Page 25 - AODAy mrch 11

BUSINESS A25
Friday 11 March 2016

Automakers post healthy February US sales gains

This photo shows the front of a 2016 Dodge Ram 3500 Heavy Duty pickup at a Fiat Chrysler deal- growth, as well as low and can hurt vehicle re-
ership in Doral, Fla. Industry analysts saw February sales bounce back after a slight decline in gas prices and low inter- sale values. The company
January. All automakers reported their monthly sales figures last week. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz) est rates, are outweighing said its sales to commercial
stock market volatility in and government fleets are
]TOM KRISHER cent. last week. consumers’ minds. Buyers up so far this year, but it has
DEE DURBIN General Motors said its Industry analysts had ex- are confident, which is key sold 30,000 fewer vehicles
AP Auto Writers sales fell 1.5 percent, partly pected February sales to for auto sales. to rental fleets. Around 21
DETROIT (AP) — Automak- due to a 39-percent cut in bounce back after a slight Proof of that confidence percent of the company’s
ers posted big U.S. sales rental sales. Volkswagen, decline in January. One is everywhere. Sales of the February sales went to
gains last month as con- still stinging from its diesel factor: Super Bowl ads. On Cadillac Escalade, an SUV fleets rather than individual
sumers — giddy from Su- cheating scandal, saw its Super Bowl Sunday, which that starts at $73,000, were buyers.
per Bowl ads — returned to U.S. sales drop 13 percent. was Feb. 7, Website visits up 22 percent over last It was a different story at
showrooms after a snowy Consulting firm LMC Au- per dealership were four February. Sales of Nissan’s Ford. Ford’s U.S. sales chief
January. tomotive consulting firm times higher than any oth- $30,000 Murano SUV nearly Mark LaNeve said Ford ex-
Ford’s sales rose 20 percent predicts an 8.1 percent in- er Sunday in all of 2015, ac- doubled; so did sales of the pects heavier fleet sales in
over last February, boosted crease over a year ago to cording to Michelle Krebs, $89,000 Lexus LX SUV. Ford the first four months of this
in part by higher sales to 1.36 million new vehicles. a senior analyst with Auto- said it was the best Febru- year before they taper off.
rental car fleets. Honda’s With an annual selling rate trader.com. Credit appli- ary for van sales since 1979. Thirty-six percent of Ford’s
sales were up 13 percent of 17.7 million cars and cations also hit single-day LMC is predicting sales of U.S. sales went to fleets in
and Fiat Chrysler’s rose 12 trucks, last month would records last month. 17.8 million new vehicles February.
percent. Nissan’s sales rose be the best February in 16 Ford Chief Economist Em- this year, up from 17.46 LaNeve defended that
nearly 11 percent and Toy- years. Automakers report- ily Kolinski Morris said im- million last year. But the percentage, which is un-
ota’s were up 4 percent. ed monthly sales figures proving job and income growth rate is slowing from usually high. At Toyota,
Hyundai’s sales rose 1 per- previous years and many for example, 16.5 percent
are expecting a plateau of February sales went to
as U.S. demand peaks. fleets.
GM said its Chevrolet and “We like this business. It’s
GMC brands saw declines profitable for us and we
in February but sales im- manage it very well,” he
proved at Cadillac and said.Ford’s luxury Lincoln
Buick. GM’s best seller, the brand saw sales jump 30
Chevrolet Silverado pick- percent after sales of its
up, saw a 5-percent sales new MKX SUV more than
decline. GM sold 227,825 doubled over last Febru-
cars and trucks last month. ary. Sales of Ford’s best
GM said it’s trying to lower seller, the F-Series pickup,
its reliance on rental sales, were up 10 percent. Ford
which are less profitable sold 217,192 vehicles.

China’s auto sales rise 5.1% in Jan-Feb

JOE McDONALD ruary from a year earlier on China to drive revenue.
AP Business Writer while sedan sales fell 12.5 Demand rebounded in
BEIJING (AP) — China’s percent, according to the September after Beijing
auto sales growth deceler- CAAM. Chinese brands cut sales taxes on vehicles
ated to 5.1 percent in Jan- accounted for 60 percent with smaller engines.
uary and February as de- of the SUV market. China’s auto market has
mand for lower-priced do- Total vehicle sales, includ- been cooling since growth
mestic brand SUVs soared ing trucks and buses, rose peaked at 45 percent in
but sedan purchases con- 4.4 percent to 4.1 million in 2009. Sales have been
tracted, an industry group January and February. dented by measures im-
reported Thursday. Auto sales suffered an un- posed by Beijing, Shanghai
Sales of sedans, SUVs and expectedly sharp contrac- and other major cities to
minivans in the biggest tion from June through curb smog and congestion
auto market by number August, rattling a global by limiting new vehicle reg-
of vehicles sold totaled 3.6 industry that is counting istrations.
million in the two-month
period, according to the
China Association of Auto-
mobile Manufacturers.
Sales for the first two
months are reported to-
gether to factor out the
impact of the Lunar New
Year holiday, a two-week
slowdown that occurs at
different times during that
period each year.
SUV sales soared 54.8 per-
cent in January and Feb-