US automaker Ford said on January 04 sales had remained strong in December to give it an 11 percent rise for the year, while smaller Chrysler reported a 26 percent gain for 2011. Ford sales hit 2.15 million vehicles last year, helped by a solid 10 percent rise in December over 12 months earlier.
"The year finished on a high note, with industry sales momentum strengthening as the year came to a close," said Ken Czubay, vice president for US marketing, sales and service.
Chrysler, the number-three US automaker, reported US sales in December jumped 37 percent from a year earlier to the highest monthly level since May 2008. For all of 2011, Chrysler sold 1.37 million vehicles, an increase of 26 percent from 2010.
"We were the fastest-growing automaker in the country, increasing our market share 1.3 percentage points during 2011," said Reid Bigland, head of US sales.
Italy's Fiat has been steering Chrysler since the American company emerged from a government-supported bankruptcy in June 2009, gradually building up its stake after buying shares from the US Treasury. Chrysler swung into profit in the 2011 third quarter.