Chrysler leads car sales in US for May

• Source: Xinhua
• [16:53 June 03 2010]
• Comments

Chrysler led Detroit's Big Three automakers with a 33 percent increase compared to a year ago in May in US market, while Ford sales rose 23 percent, and GM's rose 16.6 percent, according to the announcements on websites Wednesday.

The Big Three automakers posted double-digit sales increases last month thanks to new vehicles and strong fleet sales, experts said.

GM sold 223,822 vehicles in May and posted the fifth consecutive month of double-digit sales gains for the four core brands -- Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac.

Ford, meanwhile, sold 192,253 vehicles last month, and the Dearborn automaker marked the sixth consecutive month of at least a 20 percent sales gain.

Toyota Motor Corp. reported a 6.7 percent rise in May sales to 162,813 vehicles. The Toyota division posted a 3.6 percent sales increase to 140,597 cars and light trucks, while premium Lexus sales jumped 31.3 percent to 22,216 vehicles.

Nissan Motor Co. sold 83,764 vehicles last month, a 24.1 percent increase, while Honda Motor Co.'s sales rose 19.1 percent to 117,173 vehicles.

Hyundai Motor Co. reported a 33 percent sales jump to 49,045 vehicles in May, bolstered by strong demand for the new Sonata and Tucson models.

Chrysler sold 104,819 vehicles, the first time the Auburn Hills automaker has crossed the 100,000 mark since March 2009.

Analysts believe the selling pace in May ranged from 11 million vehicles, on an annualized basis, to as much as 11.4 million. The lower end of the range would reflect a drop in demand from 11.3 million vehicles in April and 11.8 million in March.