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Car sales in the United States have risen by 13.4% based on the figures for 2012, indicating that this has been the best year for the car industry since 2007. General Motors have sold the highest number of cars and light trucks, 2.5 million in the year, with the total sales across the whole industry coming in at 14.5 million. Japanese car companies have also recovered from some disruption they faced in 2011 due to the supply chain, therefore taking more market share in 2012.
The rise in sales is said to be driven because of the excellent recovery in the economy and the current availability of credit, which has increased. Volkswagen saw the highest rise in sales, with an increase of 35%, whilst Toyota sales rose 27% and Honda 24%.
Further gains are expected this coming year in the motor industry, due to analyst predictions. Carmakers also predicted an increase in sales, with Ford Motors exclaiming that industry sales overall would rise to around 15 and 16 million vehicles being produced in the United States. Whilst General Motors predictions were slightly more modest, with sales of 15 to 15.5 million anticipated this year.
Kurt McNeil, sales chief at General Motors explained that due to the company's strong finish of 2012, the momentum of the industry and the overall feel of the United States economy at the present moment bring optimistic views for 2013. Sales within General Motors rose by 3.7% this previous year, though this meant that the company lost market share due to the level of growth, which fell to 17.9% in comparison to 19.6% in 2011.
Toyota and Honda however saw their market share climb rather sharply in comparison to the previous year where they suffered from major disruptions with their supply chain after the tsunami and earthquake in Japan. Toyota's 2012 sales rose to almost 2.1 million and the market share to 1.5 percentage points, to 14.4%. The Chief of Toyota Jim Lentz expects that Toyota will outperform the car industry once again this year with a further nine products lined up to be launched.