DETROIT — U.S. sales of new cars and trucks rose in March, helped by a brighter jobs outlook and rising sales of fuel-efficient vehicles.
New-vehicle sales rose 11 percent at General Motors, 16 percent at Ford, 23 percent at Honda and 27 percent at Nissan, all aided by sales of smaller, more efficient cars and crossovers, which look like truck-based SUVs but are more fuel efficient and nimble because they are built on car underpinnings.
Of major automakers, only Toyota Motor Corp. reported a decline, nearly 6 percent.
Nearly all companies reported strong sales of small cars during the month, and large-car sales generally were down, but truck sales also were healthy in March for just about every manufacturer, a sign that businesses were buying as the economy continues to recover.
Ford had two months’ worth of the Fiesta subcompact at the beginning of March, for example, but that fell to 40 days’ supply at the end of the month as sales outpaced production and the earthquake in Japan pinched supply of some small cars made there, such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Fit.
General Motors Co. said its overall sales increase was propelled by the new Chevrolet Cruze, its first high-quality small car in years. The vehicle posted an 80 percent sales gain over its lackluster predecessor, the Cobalt.
