Jump in U.S. Auto Sales Bodes Well for ’94 Model Year

Auto makers got a strong start on the 1994 model year, with sales of U.S.-built new cars and trucks rising 18.5% in mid-October.

Passenger car sales were up 17.4%. Sales of models in the light-truck category--minivans, sport utility vehicles and pickups--rose 20%, the auto makers said Monday.

“Traffic has been the best I’ve seen it in a year, and the numbers are starting to reflect that,” said Tony Wasil, sales manager at Lou LaRiche Chevrolet in Plymouth, Mich. “We had one of our best overall weeks in the last week.”

Cars sold at a rate of 7.8 million a year between Oct. 11 and Oct. 20, the highest rate so far this year. Light trucks sold at an annualized rate of 5.7 million, the highest on record.

With imported vehicles and heavy trucks included, the annualized rate was about 15.8 million, also the best of the year.

“That level isn’t sustainable, but it makes me think the summer sales slowdown was more due to lack of supply than a lack of demand,” said Dave Healy, analyst with S.G. Warburg & Co.

Demand was strong for all new vehicles made in North America. Combined figures for General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Corp. were up 19.1%; totals among the other manufacturers improved by 14.3%.

GM said its sales rose 16.3% overall, with car sales up 20.4% and truck sales climbing 9.3%. It said Chevrolet’s new model year got off to the strongest start in seven years, based on daily selling rates. The division’s car sales rose 64.6% in the period, while Chevy truck sales climbed 9.5%.

All of GM’s marketing divisions except Cadillac reported higher sales in mid-October. Replacements for Cadillac’s mainstream DeVille model were just arriving in dealership showrooms during the period.

Ford said its overall sales were up 15.7%, due mostly to truck sales rising 25.8%. Ford car sales were up 7.2%.

Chrysler Corp. does not track 10-day sales periods, but according to estimates prepared by the trade journal Ward’s Automotive Reports, Chrysler’s overall sales rose 34.2%, with car sales up 35.8% and trucks moving ahead 33.1%.

Among the Japanese manufacturers, only Honda reported a decline in sales during the period. All four Japanese truck makers--Isuzu, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota--reported higher sales.