Small Cars Fuel April Sales.

Redesigned vehicles, especially
small cars, helped drive sales gains for the auto industry in April, as consumers shifted gears in the face of rising gasoline prices.
U.S. vehicle sales totaled 1.15 million units in April, up 18 percent from April 2010. For the year to date, sales of 4.12 million units is up 20 percent.
But April could be as good as it gets. Gas prices show no sign of holding steady or declining, and traditionally rise with the arrival of the summer driving season.
Also, most automakers--and Japanese automakers in particular--face continuing product shortages as parts makers cope with factories damaged by the Japanese earthquake in early March.
The slow recovery is forcing Japanese automakers to idle their assembly lines or run them at slower speed. Dealers are prevented from ordering some colors, and many Japanese-brand dealers face limits on ordering cars for several months to come.
Ford Motor Co., which posted a 16-percent gain for April, said the Fiesta and Focus sold well, as did the redesigned Explorer, which uses more fuel-efficient V6 engines.
Also, 50 percent of the Ford F-150s sold in April were equipped with a V6, instead of the Image by iambents via Flickrtraditional V8.
Ford Motor sales totaled 189,778 vehicles in April.
General Motors recorded a 27-percent sales gain in April, including a 50-percent jump in demand for cars, including the new Chevrolet Cruze. Other big sellers were the Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain crossovers.
GM said its April sales totaled 232,538 vehicles. It noted that retail sales are up 35 percent so far this year.
And in the pony-car battle, the Chevy Camaro continues to outpace the Ford Mustang. Chevy sold 10,852 Camaros in April, up 18.6 percent from a year ago, while Ford sold 8,180 Mustangs, up 59 percent. For the year to date, the Camaro leads the Mustang, 30,824 to 23,599.
The Chrysler group, on the other hand, saw strong sales for its trucks and SUVs, in spite of higher fuel costs. It noted that Jeep sales rose 65 percent in April, with the redesigned 2011 Compass and Grand Cherokee among the best sellers. But it also lacks a competitor in the small-car segment. Copies of the Fiat 500 are still just trickling into dealerships.
Overall, sales were up 22 percent, to 117,225 vehicles for the Chrysler group in April, compared with the same month a year ago. Year-to-date sales are up 23 percent, to 404,175 units sold.
Among the Japanese automakers:
-- Nissan said combined sales of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles rose 12 percent in April. Nissan sold 8,432 copies of the Rogue, up 28.1 percent from last year. Sentra sales increased 42.2 percent, with 9,367 copies sold.
-- Combined Honda and Acura sales were up 10 percent for the month. It notched a 66-percent jump in sales of the Fit small car, and a 3-percent gain in Civic sales.
-- Sales of Toyota, Scion and Lexus vehicles rose a combined 1 percent in April. Toyota saw sales gains for the Toyota Camry and Scion xB, as well as the Toyota Highlander and Sienna people carriers.
Among the European automakers:
-- BMW posted a 20-percent gain in April. Mini's April sales of 6,446 units were up 67.7 percent from a year ago. That included 1,709 units of the Countryman crossover.
-- The Volkswagen group, which includes Audi, boosted sales 20 percent in April. Audi posted its best-ever April sales, and VW notched double-digit gains in every model line except the New Image via WikipediaBeetle and Eos.
-- Mercedes-Benz posted a 4-percent sales gain, propelled by the redesigned E-class and updated C-class cars.
And in the electric arena, Nissan sold 573 Leaf EVs in April, more than doubling its year-to-date total. Chevrolet sold 493 copies of the Volt in April. For the year to date, Volt sales have totaled 1,703 units.
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