Toyota said it sold 63 percent more hybrid cars

The seasonally adjusted, annualized burberry ties selling rate for new vehicles, a closely watched indication of the auto industry’s health, climbed to 15.1 million in February. It was the first time the rate reached that level since 2008. Analysts said it was too early to predict if the February rate was sustainable — March is typically a much stronger month for auto sales and therefore more indicative of long-term trends — but the outlook was bright enough that General Motors, Ford and Chrysler were seeking ways to increase production. “We don’t see any major risks to industry sales going below 14 million this year,” said Jesse Toprak, vice president for market intelligence at TrueCar.com, which tracks pricing and sales. Automakers sold 12.8 million cars and trucks last year, and the last time sales surpassed 14 million was 2007. That same year, General Motors, the Ford Motor Company and Chrysler lost more than $44 billion. The sales gains reported Thursday were achieved without the big discounts that helped many sales booms in the past. And even though many shoppers were drawn to small and less gas-thirsty models, buyers paid an average of $1,943 more for a car than last year, the biggest year-over-year increase in recent memory, according to TrueCar.com. The price increase was a result cheap burberry watches of buyers adding more optional features even as they downsized to save money on gas. The options helped offset the lower profit margins for automakers that small cars generate relative to large trucks. “This is sort of a dream scenario from an automaker’s perspective,” Mr. Toprak said. “They’re selling more cars while spending less money on incentives.” Chrysler extended its string of year-over-year sales gains to 23 consecutive months with a 40 percent increase in February. The company, helped by its widely discussed ad featuring Clint Eastwood during the Feb. 5 Super Bowl, sold 126 percent more passenger cars. “Our product portfolio now contains some of the most fuel-efficient vehicles in our company’s history,” Reid Bigland, the head of United States sales for Chrysler, said in a statement. “A few years ago, higher fuel prices were a major threat to our total vehicle sales, whereas today, those higher prices have become far less of an issue.” Ford reported a 14 percent gain, while G.M. said sales increased 1 percent compared with an unusually strong month a year ago, when it was offering large incentives. Toyota and Honda each reported 12 percent gains, while Nissan’s sales rose 16 percent. Volkswagen, BMW, Mazda, Kia, Suzuki and Jaguar Land Rover each reported increases of more than 30 percent. The big unknown burberry sunglasses hanging over the auto industry’s recovery remains gas prices. Through Thursday, gas prices had risen for 23 consecutive days, according to the AAA motor club. The national average for regular gas was about $3.74 a gallon, 10 percent more than a year ago. “We do not believe that short-term fluctuations in pump prices will curtail industry growth in 2012,” Don Johnson, G.M.’s vice president for United States sales, said. “That’s because consumers and the overall economy are in much better shape than they were a year ago.” Ford’s chief sales analyst, Erich Merkle, said underlying demand for new vehicles was strong enough that gas prices were not deterring consumers from buying new vehicles. They are going ahead with buying cars but increasingly choosing smaller, more fuel-efficient ones, he said. Ford said it burberry scarves outlet would boost output by 3 percent in the second quarter. “Clearly at some point, gas prices would have a detrimental effect on the economy, but we’re not there yet,” Mr. Merkle said. Over all, sales of small cars rose 27 percent in February, according to the industry research firm Autodata. Toyota said it sold 63 percent more hybrid cars, and this week it began shipping two new versions of its flagship Prius hybrid to dealerships. Toyota on Thursday said it would add 80 jobs this year at a plant in West Virginia so it could build 30 percent more 6-speed, fuel-efficient transmissions. Ford and Chrysler each said sales of their full-size pickups were up more than 20 percent in February. Rising pickup truck sales are viewed as a positive sign for the economy, because those vehicles are often bought by builders www.cheapburberryoutlet2012.com and other businesses. Sales of the Chevrolet Volt, G.M.’s plug-in hybrid car, rebounded in February after publicity surrounding a government investigation of the Volt had caused demand for it to drop. G.M. sold 1,023 Volts in February, up from 603 in January. Volt sales last month were more than double that of its chief rival, the all-electric Nissan Leaf, which sold 478. Many people put off replacing their current car or truck during the recession and are now in a position where the vehicle needs to be replaced. The average age of a vehicle on the road today is 10.8 years, the highest on record, according to the research firm R. L. Polk. You may also interested in: Burberry Outlet Cheap Burberry Bags Burberry Outlet 2012 www.topluxury2012.com