Qa'dah 27, 1431 H/ Nov. 04, 2010, SPA -- U.S. auto sales rose in October as buyers grew more confident in the economy and as demand grew for newer vehicle models. General Motors (GM) Company posted a 3.5 percent increase in October U.S. auto sales on Wednesday and said sales rose 12.8 percent in its four core brands of Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC. October sales were also strong for Honda, Chrysler, and Hyundai. Honda sales rose 16 percent from last October, Chrysler sales were up 37 percent, and Hyundai said sales jumped 38 percent. But Toyota, which has been dealing with recalls earlier this year, saw sales drop 4.4 percent. Ford Motor Company sales also rose 19.2 percent, while Subaru sales rose 25 percent for October and Volkswagen sales rose 18 percent. U.S. auto sales fell to the lowest levels in over 25 years in 2009 under the recession and so far this year it has been recovering at a slower pace than analysts expected. Although most automakers reported stronger October U.S. auto sales, sales overall remain below pre-recession levels of 2007 and are expected to continue a slow pace of recovery along with the U.S. economy. Overall, economists expected U.S. auto sales at an about 11.85 million vehicle annual rate, down from the 16 million vehicle monthly rate registered in 2007 before the U.S. recession.
