Gains by Big Three Push U.S. Auto Sales Up 7.3%
DETROIT — Led by the strong showing of Detroit’s Big Three, total U.S. car sales rose 7.3% in June, the auto industry reported Wednesday.
Sales of domestic cars, including those built in the United States by Japanese auto makers, rose 10%, while imports rose a scant 0.9%. As a result, the share of the car market held by the imports slipped to 28.1% in June, down from 29.8% in the same month last year.
“I think (sales) are quite strong,†said Jerry Paul, an auto analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein in New York. “All three of the (major) domestics displayed strength.â€
Ford, General Motors and Chrysler all reported robust sales for the month. Ford posted the sharpest increase, with a rise of 12.5%. Meanwhile, Chrysler’s sales jumped 8.5%, and GM’s sales increased 7.8% from the year before.
Domestic sales were also strengthened by a heady 109.5% gain for Toyota’s U.S.-built models.
“There is a good and strong demand for the product because of the model mixes we have available,†said Jerry Giaquinta, a Toyota spokesman.
But sales of other foreign producers building cars in the United States were not as healthy. Volkswagen, which plans to close its U.S. assembly plant this month, posted an 11.8% decline, while Nissan’s sales of domestic cars dropped 13.1%. Sales of imports by several Japanese makers fell in the month. Nissan’s sales fell 4.6%; Mazda’s 4.3% and Mitsubishi’s 18.8%.
AUTO SALES
% June 1988 change GM 353,005 +7.8 Ford 215,239 +12.5 Chrysler 99,528 +8.5 Honda US 30,049 +20.1 Nissan US 11,915 -13.1 VW US* 4,301 -11.8 Toyota US 5,418 +109 Mazda US 2,909 -- Domestic 722,364 +10.0 Toyota Imp. 54,906 +15.4 Nissan Imp. 35,324 -4.6 Honda Imp. 33,279 +7.1 Mazda 20,227 -4.3 Subaru 15,000 +4.6 VW Imp. 11,945 -6.8 Volvo 9,037 +3.1 Hyundai 28,041 +3.1 Mitsubishi 6,300 -18.8 Others* 67,941 +5.3 Imports* 282,000 +1.0 Total US 1,004,364 +7.3
