U.S.-Built Vehicle Sales Leap 27% in Mid-October

DETROIT — Sales of domestically built cars and trucks soared 27.1% in mid-October over a particularly weak period a year ago, auto makers reported Friday.

Dealers said sales are improving, and they expect a greater climb after the Nov. 3 presidential election.

“Sales have actually been pretty darn good,” said Ray Spacagna, general manager of Mike Luna Chevrolet-Oldsmobile-Geo in Belen, N.M.

But, he said, people coming into the dealership have been “a little bit worried about the economy and who’s going to be President.”

“Distractions seem to keep people from the showrooms,” said Joe Kehoe, general sales manager at Ed Voyles Oldsmobile in Smyrna, Ga., referring to the baseball playoffs and World Series and the presidential election.

New car sales rose 15.4% and new truck sales soared 48.8% in the Oct. 11-20 period.

Cars sold at a projected annual rate of 6.4 million, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported Friday, a vast improvement from the 5.8 million projected rate in the first 10 days of the month. Light trucks were running at a projected annual rate of more than 5 million in October’s first 20 days.

The reports also follow Chrysler Corp.’s announcement that it earned $202 million in the third quarter. However, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are expected to report combined losses of more than $1 billion next week.

Among the Big Three U.S. auto makers, Ford reported the biggest gains: a 27% increase in car sales and 52.4% more truck sales.

GM reported a 9.6% increase in car sales and a 40.5% gain in truck sales.

Chrysler’s combined car and truck sales were up 15.4%, estimated Ward’s Automotive Reports, a trade publication. The auto maker does not report 10-day sales.

“It’s certainly encouraging to see . . . and we’re definitely seeing some improvement in the economy. But it’s probably not as strong as you’d expect,” said Gerry Paul, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. in New York.

Among Japanese auto makers with U.S. plants, Nissan reported a 158% increase in mid-October car sales and a 67.9% increase in new truck sales. Mitsubishi reported a 57.6% gain in new car sales, and Mazda reported a 53.4% rise in car sales but a 50.2% drop in truck sales.