GM, Ford, FCA all post robust April sales - USA TODAY
The Detroit 3 automakers reported booming April sales as new models and cheap loans lured even more buyers into what's already a brisk-moving new-vehicle market. Long loans cost more in the end, but they keep payments down so buyers can minimize the financial pinch of car payments, and buy more expensive cars and trucks while doing so. General Motors reported 269,056 sales in April, up 5. 9%, powered... GM's Cadillac luxury brand broke out of its malaise to post a 13. 2% gain, while the normally stellar Buick premium brand slipped 5. 2%. Only its Encore small SUV posted a sales gain. Ford Motor said it sold 222,498 new cars, trucks and SUVs in April, up 5% from a year earlier. That includes record sales of the new-design Edge midsize SUV that powered sales up 78%, and the compact Escape rose 5%. That was limited, Ford said because dealers are unable to keep significant inventories, selling Escapes in about 10 days. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles reported it sold 189,027 new cars and truck in the U. S. in April — best for the month since April 2007 and up 6% from a year earlier. That makes 61 consecutive months the car company has reported sales increases — an increasingly challenging accomplishment as each month is compared to strong year-earlier results. Source: www.usatoday.com
