Strong demand for full-size pickups and SUVs drove up General Motors’ U.S. sales last month, the automaker said Monday.
GM reported total sales of 207,145 vehicles in September — a 20 percent increase over the same month a year ago. Truck sales, which include full-size pickups and SUVs, jumped 34 percent, while sales of passenger cars rose 12 percent over September 2010.
“For GM, all of the factors that say this is a good time to buy a new vehicle outweigh the bad news that appears to be slowing down the broader economic recovery,” said Don Johnson, vice president for U.S. sales.
Other major automakers reported their September sales Monday. Ford said its U.S. sales rose 9 percent, with sales of the Ford Explorer SUV up more than threefold and sales of the Escape small SUV up 41 percent. Ford’s pickup sales rose 15 percent.
Sales of trucks and SUVs tend to pick up in the fall as automakers offer sales promotions. Industrywide, car and truck sales are expected to have risen in September as more Japanese vehicles fill showrooms after months of earthquake-related shortages, the Associated Press reports, adding that “analysts say the jump in sales could be short-lived because potential car buyers remain worried about the economy.”
Earlier, Chrysler reported a 27 percent rise in monthly sales. And Toyota said its September sales fell 17.5 percent over the year-ago month.
