Automakers Dec. U.S. Sales Up

(RTTNews) - U.S. automakers reported strong sales growth for December, driven by continued demand for trucks and sport-utility vehicles.

GM, the largest U.S. automaker, December sales rose 6 percent to 290,230 units from last year. Retail deliveries rose 8 percent and commercial sales rose 2 percent.

Chevrolet reported 2.1 percent increase, while GMC reported 13 percent growth, and Cadillac rose 28.7 percent and Buick grew 1.7 percent.

Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford's December sales rose 8 percent to 239,242 vehicles from last year. An 8 percent retail sales increase drove overall performance, with 174,509 vehicles sold last month, the company said.

Ford's car sales for the month dropped 4.2 percent year-over-year, while truck sales jumped 13 percent and utilities sales rose 13.6 percent.

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., a unit of Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. (TM), reported December sales of 238,350 units, an increase of 10.8 percent.

"2015 was a standout year for the auto industry," said Bill Fay, group vice president and general manager for the Toyota division. "Best-ever light truck sales helped the Toyota division earn the retail sales crown for the fourth consecutive year."

FCA US LLC. (FCAU), said its U.S. vehicle sales for December rose 13 percent to 217,527 units driven by strong demand for Dodge, Jeep, Ram Truck and FIAT brands.

"FCA US finished 2015 strong with sales up 13 percent and our best December sales since we started business more than 90 years ago," said Reid Bigland, Head of U.S. Sales. "For the second straight year, the company has topped 2 million in U.S. sales. FCA US sales have now grown annually for the past six years."