DETROIT (AP) -- Several automakers posted record U.S. sales in November, usually a month when demand falls off, as low gasoline prices and a healthy economy drove the seemingly endless growth in sales of big pickups and sport utility vehicles.
DaimlerChrysler AG said Tuesday its vehicle sales increased 7 percent last month, compared with November 1997. Toyota Motor Corp. reported a 21 percent improvement, while Honda Motor Co. posted a 5 percent gain. The totals for DaimlerChrylser and Toyota set company records for the month."It was a great month," Jamie Jameson, vice president of North American sales and marketing for DaimlerChrysler, said Tuesday. "The economy's strong, interest rates are down, unemployment's down and gas prices are at 90 cents a gallon. That's certainly helping the big end of the market right now."
November's sales report for DaimlerChrysler was the first since the former Chrysler Corp. and Germany's Daimler-Benz AG merged. The results do not include its Mercedes-Benz unit, which will continue to report its U.S. sales separately.
The automaker is on track to break its U.S. sales record set in 1996. Through November it already had exceeded Chrysler's total for all of 1997. In November, it sold a record 192,012 vehicles, breaking the previous November mark of 180,002 set last year.
DaimlerChrysler's car sales increased nearly 6 percent, thanks in large part to strong sales of the full-size LH series sedans -- the Dodge Intrepid, Chrysler LHS, Concorde and 300M. Truck sales were up 7 percent, with November records set for the Dodge Ram and Dakota pickups and the Durango SUV.
"They continue to do extraordinarily well from the truck side of the portfolio," said analyst Joe Phillippi of Lehman Brothers. "With full availability of the LH cars, that's also making for good year-to-year comparisons."
The two U.S.-based automakers, General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., plan to report their November sales Thursday.
Toyota enjoyed its ninth consecutive month of 100,000-plus sales with November records for the Land Cruiser and 4Runner SUVs, as well as the Sienna minivan.
"This year is shaping up as one of the industry's best ever, thanks to sustained strong sales through the fourth quarter," said Yale Gieszl, a Toyota vice president. "The key factors of high consumer confidence and low interest rates should hold steady well into '99."
Honda said its sales increased due to record November demand for its redesigned Odyssey minivan and its popular compact SUV, the CR-V. Honda's light truck sales were up 88 percent, more than offsetting a 4 percent drop in car sales.
Going into the final month of the year, it appeared unlikely Honda's flagship Accord sedan would dethrone the Toyota Camry as the top-selling car in the United States. Through November, Accord sales totaled 366,026, compared with 374,525 for Camry. Ford's Taurus is well behind in third place.
Nissan Motor Corp. posted another down month, with sales off nearly 13 percent from a year ago. Nissan's only bright spot was its Infiniti luxury division, which posted a 21 percent gain thanks to record demand for its QX4 sport utility.
Among other automakers who reported sales Tuesday, Subaru said it had its best November in 11 years; its 7 percent increase was due in large part to rising sales of its Forester SUV. Suzuki Motor Corp.'s sales improved 34 percent, Volvo Car Corp. posted a 23 percent gain, and Land Rover was up 17 percent. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. was down 12 percent and Kia Motors Corp. declined 11 percent.