August was another good month in auto sales for General Motors (GM) and Ford Motor Co. (F) .  Chrysler sales surged as well, with the Big 3 all notching double-digit gains for the first month in years.

GM, the nation’s largest automaker, said that it sold 275,847 vehicles last month in the U.S., a jump of 14.7 percent compared to August 2012.  Retail sales jumped 22 percent, while fleet sales were down by 8 percent.  Retail sales at Cadillac were the best since 1989.  All tallied, it was the best month for GM sales since September 2008.  Americans don’t seem to be worried about gas either.  Large SUV sales climbed by 29 percent.  The Volt had its best month ever, according to the company.

All the company’s brands posted double-digit gains for the month in total and retail deliveries.

 

In Total:

·       Cadillac – up 38%

·       Buick – up 37%

·       GMC – up 14%

·       Chevrolet –up 10%

In Delivery:

·       Cadillac – up 38%

·       Buick – up 24%

·       Chevrolet – up 22%

·       GMC – up 16%

 

“The second half of 2013 is off to a very solid start for GM and our model-year change over and new product launches are going smoothly,” said Kurt McNeil, vice president, U.S. sales operations.

GM also noted today that August sales in China hit a record at 245,799, up 11.2 percent from last August.

Shares of GM closed ahead by 5 percent at $35.85.

At Ford, total sales were up by 12 percent in August compared to last year’s month, with 221,270 vehicles sold.  Retail sales increased 20 percent, the best month since 2006.  Sales of its popular F-Series trucks exceeded 70,000 for the second time in 2013, rising 22.2 percent.  F-Series truck sales have now improved year-over-year for 25 straight months.  Ford Fusion sales posted their best ever August with 24,653 sold.  Last week, Ford completed renovations at its Flat Rock, Michigan plant, hired 1,400 new people and began cranking out Fusions there to keep up with demand.  Lincoln MKZ sales improved 10 percent to 3,652 units.

"Small cars and hybrids continue to outpace the market in the coastal regions of the U.S., with Ford brand retail small car sales growing at more than three times the rate of the U.S. small car industry," said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. marketing, sales and service.

Ford’s small car sales, which include Fiesta, Focus and C-MAX hybrids, rose 30 percent to 30,148 vehicles.  Unlike Chevy’s gas-guzzlers, Expedition sales were essentially flat at 3,176 units.

Shares of F jumped ahead by 3.5 percent today to $16.91.

At Chrysler, sales also increased 12 percent in August, with 165,552 vehicles sold.  It was the 41st straight month of overall sales improvement at Chrysler.

Toyota (TM) sold 231,537 vehicles in the U.S in August, up 23 percent from last August.  Shares closed up 1.3 percent at $125.87.

A wide list of sales for automakers is available at autonews.com