General Motors, the biggest US automaker, said Tuesday sales in the United States roared higher in January, driven by sharply stronger demand for its cars and trucks. GM reported 178,896 total sales in January in the US market, up 22 percent from a year ago.
That was much better than analysts at automotive website Edmunds.com had forecast, an increase of 11 percent. Excluding brands it is selling or has sold, the year-over-year rise was 23 percent for GM's four brands. "The gain was driven by solid retail sales which were 36 percent higher than a strong January a year ago," said the company, which emerged from a government-financed restructuring under bankruptcy protection in 2009.
"January was a good month and signalled a solid start to the new year for each of our divisions," Don Johnson, vice president of US sales operations, said in a statement. "Our results were driven by gains across the board in all segments, with our newest models leading the way."