WASHINGTON (MNI) – The following is an initial summary of the March
U.S. sales performance of select auto manufacturers announced Tuesday:

* General Motors Co. Tuesday reported total March sales of
231,052 vehicles in the United States, up 12% year over year. Total GM
passenger car sales increased 22%, with small and compact car sales up a
combined 62%. Compact crossover sales were up 47% and mid-size car sales
were up 38%. Full-size pickup sales were up 14%. The company’s retail
deliveries increased 14% compared with March 2011 and accounted for 74%
of GM sales. Deliveries to fleets increased 6%.

* Ford Motor Tuesday reported its best March U.S. sales month
since 2007, with total company sales at 223,418 vehicles, a 5% gain over
year-ago levels. Retail sales increased 11% for the month. For the first
quarter, Ford Motor Company’s sales were up 9% versus year-ago levels,
totaling 539,247 vehicles sold. Car sales at Ford Motor Company were up
8%. Utility sales totaled 150,415 vehicles, a 6% increase versus
year-ago levels. Ford Motor Company truck sales increased 11%, with
195,807 vehicles sold.

* Chrysler Group Tuesday reported U.S. sales of 163,381 units, a
34% increase compared with sales in March 2011 (121,730 units), and the
group’s best monthly sales in four years. Chrysler Group finished the
month with a 59-days supply of inventory (346,939 units). Chrysler brand
sales (34,726 units) increased 70 percent in March versus the same month
a year ago (20,463 units).

* Nissan North America Tuesday reported March U.S. sales of
136,317 units versus 121,141 units a year earlier, an increase of 12.5%,
and a record for any month in the company’s history. Nissan Division
sales also set a new sales record, up 14.8% for the month at 126,132
units. Sales of Infiniti vehicles were down 9.8% from the prior year, to
10,185 units.

* Volkswagen of America Tuesday reported 36,588 units sold in
March, a 34.6% increase over prior year sales and best March since 1973.

* Subaru of America Tuesday reported record sales for March 2012
of 32,387 vehicles, a 20.33% gain over March 2011. The company also
reported year-to-date sales of 80,568, more than 19% gain over prior
year. March 2012 was the second best sales month in Subaru history,
behind only December 2011.

* Porsche Cars North America Tuesday announced March 2012 sales
of 2,460 vehicles. This compares to 2,588 vehicles last March, a 5%
decrease. For the year, Porsche has sold 7,159 cars in the U.S., which
is a 2% increase over last year’s sales of 7,007.

** MNI Washington Bureau: 202-371-2121 **

[TOPICS: M$U$$$,MAUDS$]