- Jan 7, 2002
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American consumers last month ran away from traditional truck-based SUVs that have provided Detroit with profitable sales for years in favor of more fuel-efficient vehicles that have long been a strength of Japanese automakers, such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co.
The results seemed to provide the strongest evidence to date that higher gas prices -- up to $2.27 in Michigan now -- are pinching vehicle sales.
Robust auto sales in April, boosted by generous consumer discounts, belied any soft patch in the U.S. economy. Sales were up 5.7 percent from last April, bringing the total so far this year to a 1.2-percent gain. But Detroit automakers basically muddled through the month with higher bulk sales to governments and businesses.
General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. sales were down slightly, while DaimlerChrysler AG showed a nearly 9-percent gain. Leading Japanese and Korean automakers, however, posted big double-digit increases.
Sales of Toyota vehicles, including Lexus and Scion, rose 25.9 percent in April -- topping the combined sales of DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brands -- while sales of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles jumped 31.9 percent
http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/sales4e_20050504.htm
The results seemed to provide the strongest evidence to date that higher gas prices -- up to $2.27 in Michigan now -- are pinching vehicle sales.
Robust auto sales in April, boosted by generous consumer discounts, belied any soft patch in the U.S. economy. Sales were up 5.7 percent from last April, bringing the total so far this year to a 1.2-percent gain. But Detroit automakers basically muddled through the month with higher bulk sales to governments and businesses.
General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. sales were down slightly, while DaimlerChrysler AG showed a nearly 9-percent gain. Leading Japanese and Korean automakers, however, posted big double-digit increases.
Sales of Toyota vehicles, including Lexus and Scion, rose 25.9 percent in April -- topping the combined sales of DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep brands -- while sales of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles jumped 31.9 percent
http://www.freep.com/money/autonews/sales4e_20050504.htm