NEW YORK (AP) – Major auto companies say sales rose sharply in March, with most digits reporting double-digit profits. For some companies, last month’s strong performance helped compensate for the slower start of the year.
The automaker sold about 1.6 million vehicles in the US in March, up 13.6%. That brought total first-quarter sales to more than 3.9 million vehicles, MotionIntelligence.com said Tuesday. Almost all car manufacturers had a surge in sales of electric vehicles.
It is uncertain that we are predicting the next few months for automakers. President Donald Trump has announced a 25% tariff on automobile imports, which will come into effect on April 3rd. Duties are set to expand to applicable auto parts in the next few weeks until May 3rd. The rise in taxes means carmakers face higher costs and cut sales, but Trump claims that more factories will be opened in the US.
Sam Abuelsamid, an automotive industry analyst at Telemetry Insight, said pre-bading is “probably limited to some degree by affordable prices and ongoing high interest rates,” but there is high hope that March numbers will be high due to some advance purchase ahead of tariff levies.
See the latest results.
General Motors
– Full-size pickups and strong SUV sales increased US overall sales by 17% in the first quarter.
– Chevrolet sales rose 14% during the quarter, making it the brand’s highest quarter since 2019.
– GMC sales rose 18% in the highest ever quarter, with electric vehicle sales almost tripling.
Ford Motor
– Due to large F-150 pickups and electric vehicle sales, total sales increased by 10% in March, and SUV sales fell.
– Low car rental companies and cancellation of two models resulted in a 1% decline in total sales in the first quarter.
– All-electric and hybrid vehicle sales increased, accounting for around 15% of total sales in the first quarter.
Toyota
– US sales for Toyota Motor North America increased 7.7% in March.
– Electric vehicle sales increased 44.1% in March, representing almost half of all sales that month.
-Toyota Motors North America total sales increased 0.9% in the first quarter.
Honda
– Total sales of Honda in the US rose 13.2% in March.
– Electrified vehicle sales skyrocketed 89.1% in March, accounting for almost a third of all vehicle sales.
– Total sales increased by 5.3% in the first quarter. This is because car sales have declined due to a surge in truck sales.
Nissan
– Total sales increased 5.7% in the first quarter, boosted by the profits of Sentra Sedan and Kicks Compact Crossover.
– Ye electric vehicles sales doubled in the quarter.
Hyundai
– Hyundai Motor America’s total sales rose 13% in March, leading sales for Tucson and Santa Fe SUVS and Elantra Sedan.
– Total sales increased by 10% in the first quarter.
– The company’s first quarter sales of hybrid electric vehicles increased by 68%.
Kia
– Kia America said sales rose 13.1% in March and 10.7% in the first quarter.
Original issue: April 1, 2025, 7:02 PM EDT
