Automakers Expected to Report Highest U.S. Sales Since 2007
Automakers are expected to report Tuesday that U.S. car and truck sales hit their highest level in nearly six years in March.
Automakers are expected to report Tuesday that U.S. car and truck sales hit their highest level in nearly six years in March.
Every year, America gets treated to a Super Bowl side show of TV commercial controversies. Sometimes the ads air, sometimes they don't, but this year, Volkswagen, GoDaddy and PornHub are all getting pre-game publicity out of their Super Bowl commercial offerings.
Toyota has dethroned General Motors as the world's top-selling automaker. Though both companies' sales increased in 2012, Toyota bounced back from a manufacturing slowdown caused by Japan's 2011 earthquake to sell 9.7 million cars and trucks, while GM's sales rose just 2.9% to 9.29 million.
GM has been cleaning up its act and has the profits to show for it. But the competition has never been stiffer, all over the world, and GM's cars will have to be top-notch to assure the success of a turnaround.
America used to stand alone among Western nations when it came to corporate tax-dodging. No more: Just as we've exported Hollywood and fast food to the world, we're apparently exporting that aspect of our culture too: Witness how Volkswagen and Porsche are beating one big tax bill.
German luxury carmaker BMW and Japan's Toyota agreed to extend their cooperation to a bigger strategic alliance on Friday in a challenge to global rivals as competition intensifies.
U.S. auto sales are off to a strong start this year, continuing the brisk pace from late 2011. Chrysler had its best January in four years while Ford got a boost from small cars and SUVs. Volkswagen, which wants to aggressively expand in the U.S., reported much higher sales. One sour note was GM, where sales fell.
The major players in the auto industry have had it rough in the past few years, first with the massive sales declines caused by the recession, and more recently, with the disaster in Japan. But the next challenge they face is already looming on the horizon: A slowdown in Chinese car sales.
It was a good month for auto sales despite inclement weather across much of the country and surging oil prices. Cars sold near an annual pace of 13 million vehicles. That would make February the best on record since the "cash for clunkers" rebate program in 2009.
Major automakers are set to release February sales figures on Tuesday, and analysts expect the reports will show sales improved 20% compared to a year ago. Consumers continued to warm to the slowly improving economy -- so far, despite surging oil prices.
A slowly brightening economy combined with low financing rates and generally stable fuel prices have put consumers in a buying mood. New models, particularly from Ford and GM, are also helping to keep U.S. auto sales on a positive trajectory as 2011 starts.
Toyota managed to hold onto the title of world's No. 1 automaker last year, despite numerous safety recalls that took a toll on its sales. Toyota sold 8.42 million vehicles worldwide in 2010, enough to barely edge out resurgent General Motors, which rang up sales of 8.39 million.
Taking the name of VW's existing midsize entry, the new Passat is more than just a fresh design. The vehicle brings with it a commitment by the German automaker to resume building cars in the U.S. for the first time in decades, at its new $1 billion in Tennessee.
The nation's automakers ended 2010 strong, with most reporting higher sales for December. Consumers seemed to put concerns about the U.S. economy on hold and more than offset reduced demand by fleet customers, such as corporations and rental-car companies.













