Japanese carmakers boost US sales

Japanese carmakers boost US sales

US auto sales gained momentum in April; however gains came mainly from Japanese carmakers. The sales of General Motors and Ford suffered from high gasoline prices. Overall vehicle sales in the US rose 5.7% year on year to 1.50 million units in April. 12-month sales rose from 16.6 million units to 17.5 million units. The strong crude oil and gasoline prices hit sport utility vehicles sales negatively. Thus, GM and Ford report decline in their sales. GM disclosed that its US sales declined 7.4% year on year to 385'939 units in April. Ford sales also fell 1.5% from a year earlier to 281'292 units. Toyota Motor, meanwhile, reported a record increase of 21.3% in its vehicle sales. The company sold 210'466 units in April. Consumer appetite for hybrid and fuel efficient vehicles assisted Toyota's and other Japanese carmakers' sales. Nissan boosted its US sales to 91'621 units, an increase of 27% from a year earlier.