U.S. auto sales are off to a strong start this year, continuing their brisk pace from late 2011.
Chrysler had its best January in four years while Toyota got a boost from its new Camry.
Volkswagen, which wants to aggressively expand in the U.S., reported much higher sales. One sour note was GM, where sales fell compared to a strong January a year earlier.
When final fi gures are released late Wednesday, analysts expect industrywide sales to rise around 7 percent to more than 870,000 for January, kicking off what is expected to be the strongest year for the industry since the recession. Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry trends for TrueCar.com, said demand is growing as the economy improves.
“For the fi rst time in several years, we are starting the year off with a warm and fuzzy feeling,” Toprak said.