For the second consecutive month, second-quarter production is being bumped up, this time by 16,000 units to 8,161,300, a 22.6% gain over prior-year’s results.
With help from rising gasoline prices, car deliveries jumped 42.6%, compared with prior month, topping year-ago by 3.2%. Light-truck sales climbed 23.8% but trailed like-2011 by 4.4%.
U.S. dealers closed March with more light-vehicle inventory than in any month since March 2009, but strong sales trimmed days’ supply to a 3-month low of 55.
Second-quarter production plans rise by 38,200 units, despite GM and Chrysler trimming car builds, thanks to a 27.0% boost at VW’s Puebla, Mexico, plant.
Canadian dealers retailed 106,319 new light vehicles in February, up 4.8% on a daily rate basis from the prior month and 6.6% better than year-ago’s 95,788.
The increased inventory was welcomed by sellers of Japanese brands that had been struggling with a dearth of stock for the past seven to eight months as a result of last year’s natural disasters in Japan and...