U.S. auto sales picked up steam in October, with most brands experiencing an increase compared to the same month a year ago. Only three auto brands saw a sales decrease in October. One of them was Toyota, which saw a 2.8 percent decline while all its rivals had a sales increase.
Porsche had an impressive 61 percent increase compared to last October. Several automakers had their best October ever, including Subaru, Audi, Kia and Hyundai.
"We were very encouraged by what appeared to be a general strengthening of the overall sales environment in October," said Dave Zuchowski, executive vice president of sales, Hyundai Motor America. "We’ll also sustain October’s momentum over the next several months with Equus, our fresh take on intelligent luxury, and the all-new, U.S. built Elantra."
Even Suzuki saw a sales increase in October, which was the first time in 27 months it had a year-over-year increase.
The domestic automakers also did well in October, with Chrysler and GM up more than 30 percent compared to last October.
"Our new Jeep Grand Cherokee created a consumer buzz that generated showroom traffic and sales," said Fred Diaz, president and CEO, Ram Truck brand and lead executive for U.S. sales. "Now we’re sparking more consumer excitement as we release images and details about our all-new and significantly-refreshed products arriving in dealerships this quarter."
October 2010 U.S. auto sales
GM: up 30.3% (core brands only)
Ford: up 19.2%
Chrysler: up 37%
Toyota: down 2.8%
Lexus: up 12.2%
Honda: up 20.2%
Acura: up 17.1%
Nissan: up 15.2%
Infiniti: up 22.9%
Mercedes-Benz: up 0.9%
smart USA: down 44.5%
BMW: up 17.2%
MINI: down 5.4%
Porsche: up 61%
Audi: up 10.5%
Kia: up 38.7%
Subaru: up 25%
Hyundai: up 38%
Mazda: up 19.5%
Volkswagen: up 17.9%
Suzuki: up 17%
Mitsubishi: up 32%
