US CAR SALES Going up

Sales of cars and light trucks in the United States rose 17 percent from a year earlier to 819,895.

GM and Chrysler Group LLC led the way in sales last month, each reporting 23 percent increases compared to last January.

Toyota Motor Corp. recovered from January 2010, as sales rose 17 percent

Ford sales rose 9 percent, partly because of a significant decrease in fleet and partly because of the discontinuation of the Mercury brand at the end of last year.

Hyundai Motor Co. said sales rose 22 percent. Sales of the revamped Sonata sedan, which went on sale early in 2010, nearly doubled in January, while sales of the newly redesigned Elantra rose 26 percent.

Honda Motor Co. said sales rose 13 percent. The CR-V was Honda’s top-selling model as sales rose 69 percent. Honda also increased its incentives by 45 percent, to $2,074 per vehicle, the biggest jump in the industry, according to Toprak.

Nissan Motor Co. sales rose 15 percent on the strength of its Rogue crossover, which saw sales jump 72 percent.

Kia Motors sales rose 26 percent, led by the Sorento, which blends the features of a car and an SUV, and the newly redesigned Optima sedan.

Source: Associated Press