Chrysler, Honda Sales Rise in January

Chrysler Corp. said vehicle sales rose 2% over January 1997 to 171,555 units. The No. 3 auto maker blamed a 14.7% drop in car sales on the lack of availability of its new LH large cars, but it said truck sales increased 10.8% for the month. Honda Motor Co. reported January vehicle sales rose 8.1% from a year ago. Sales of Hondas built in North America rose 11.6%, but sales of its imports fell 39.1% and of its U.S.-built Passport sport-utility vehicles fell 9.2%. Sales of imported trucks rose a strong 283.9%; those of Accord, expected to become ‘98’s best-selling car in the U.S., rose 11.5%. Germany’s Volkswagen said its U.S. sales rose 29.2% to 11,119 units, but Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors Corp. reported a 7.3% decline. Chrysler shares closed at $36.25, up 69 cents, on the NYSE.