U.S. Car Sales Rose 15% in January

Auto makers were on track to report about a 15% rise in U.S. new-vehicle sales in January, led by increased purchasing by consumers, a healthy sign for the industry's recovery.

General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC both reported Tuesday their sales of cars and light trucks rose 23% in January compared to the same month in 2010, while Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. saw sales gains in the mid-teens.

Daimler AG, meantime, reported U.S. sales of 17,631 Mercedes-Benz and Smart vehicles, up 14% from January 2010.

GM estimated that new-vehicle sales industrywide would total about 800,000 cars ...

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