WASHINGTON (MNI) – The following is an initial summary of the
October U.S. sales performance of select auto manufacturers announced
Wednesday. Auto sales numbers for some manufactuers were reported
Tuesday:

* General Motors reported Wednesday that driven by strong demand
for their popular crossovers, and full-size pickup trucks, October
combined sales for Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac increased 13%
compared to October 2009 to 183,392 units. Combined retail sales for the
brands increased 13% compared to a year earlier and were 8% higher
compared to September. Month-end dealer inventory in the U.S. stood at
about 515,000 units, which is about 37,000 units higher compared to
September, and about 72,000 higher than October 2009.

* Ford Motor Wednesday said consumer demand for its lineup of
high-quality, fuel-efficient vehicles in October helped the company grow
monthly sales 19% versus a year ago, with 157,935 units sold.
Year-to-date, Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sales totaled 1.6 million, up
21% — growing double the overall industry rate. Ford is on track to
gain market share for the second year in a row — a result not achieved
since 1993.

* Chrysler Group LLC Wednesday reported U.S. sales of 90,137, a
37% increase compared with sales in October 2009 (65,803 units). October
represents the seventh consecutive month of year-over-year sales
increases. The Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram Truck brands each posted
year-over-year sales increases in October. Chrysler Group finished the
month with a 74-day supply of inventory (245,739 units). U.S. industry
sales figures for October are projected at an estimated 12.4 SAAR.

* American Honda Motor Co. Wednesday reported October sales of
98,811 vehicles, an increase of 19.8% based on the daily selling rate.
American Honda year-to-date sales reached 1,011,247, an increase of 5.1%
versus last year based on the daily selling rate.

* Hyundai Motor America Tuesday announced October sales of
42,656, up 38% percent versus 2009. Retail sales were up 71% percent,
while deliveries to fleet accounts were down 46%. For the year, Hyundai
has reported total cumulative sales of 452,703, up 21% versus the same
ten month period in 2009, with retail sales up 29%. Through October,
Hyundai has already exceeded total and retail volumes for the entire
2009 calendar year.

* Subaru of America, Inc. Tuesday reported its best-ever October
results of 22,720 units, exceeding the previous “best-ever” result set
in 2009 by over 25%. Driving these results were record sales for the
Outback, Forester, and Legacy Sedan. Subaru year-to-date sales now total
216,334 units — a 23% increase compared to last year.

* Volkswagen of America, Inc. Tuesday reported that sales in
October rose 17.9% vs. the prior year’s sales for their entire line of
vehicles. The all-new Volkswagen Jetta sold 5,464 in its first full
month of sales, the best non-Cash for Clunker sales month for Jetta
since 2005. In addition to the Jetta, Volkswagen’s Routan, Golf and GTI
models also had increases in sales compared to October 2009. The Routan
sold 1,103 units, a 64.9% increase vs. the same month last year. The
Golf achieved a 65.7% increase and the GTI a 58.7% increase vs. the same
time period in 2009.

* The BMW Group in the U.S. (BMW and MINI combined) reported
October sales of 23,222 vehicles, an increase of 12.6% from the 20,619
vehicles sold in October 2009. Year-to-date, the BMW Group also
reported a sales volume of 215,274 vehicles, up 7.7% from the 199,838
units sold through October 2009.

* Kia Motors America Tuesday announced sales of 31,199 vehicles
in October, a 38.7% increase over the same period last year and an
all-time sales record for the month of October. KMA’s year-to-date
sales are up 14.6% over 2009. The October sales record is KMA’s third in
the past four months — and seventh overall in 2010.

* American Suzuki Tuesday reported that its October sales rose
17% to 2,043 vs the same month last year. It is Suzuki’s first
year-over-year sales increase in 27 months.

* Porsche Cars North America, Inc. (PCNA), Tuesday announced
October sales in the U.S. of 2,647 units compared to the same month last
year when it sold 1,642 new cars, an increase of 61%. This represents
Porsche’s second-best sales month this year. October’s strong showing
pushed Porsche’s year-to-date results to 20,337 cars compared to the
same period in 2009 when it sold 15,952, up 27.5%.

** Market News International Washington Bureau: 202-371-2121 **

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