Major American Automakers Report Gains in US Sales

VOA Breaking News
October 1, 2010 at 10:45 pm

The three largest American automakers Friday reported gains in U.S. sales last month compared with a year ago, as the industry tries to recover from its sharp decline of recent years.

General Motors, the largest U.S. automaker, says it posted a sales increase of 10.5 percent in September.

Ford says its sales rose more than 40 percent, while Chrysler reported a 61 percent increase over September of last year.

Auto manufacturers usually report sales on the first business day of the month. Motor vehicle sales are good indicators of trends in consumer spending.

General Motors avoided a complete collapse last year when the U.S. government came to the rescue with an emergency $50 billion bailout. Chrysler also took a government bailout.

Some information in this story was provided by AP, AFP, Bloomberg and Reuters.