US automakers posted sharp sales increases in July as the car industry reported a mixed bag of delivery figures.

Detroit's big three all saw their sales rise last month when compared with 2010, following disappointing growth in May and June.

General Motors reported US sales rose by eight per cent in July, while Ford's increased nine per cent and Chrysler, now owned by Fiat, said deliveries had shot up 20 per cent.

Japanese automakers did not fare so well, with the country's biggest manufacturers seeing sales well down on last year as they continue to struggle with bringing production back on line following the earthquake and tsunami in March.

Toyota and Honda both posted year-on-year sales falls of over 20 per cent, while Subaru also saw deliveries drop by nearly ten per cent. Mitsubishi, Nissan and Suzuki increased sales.

South Korean firms continue to benefit from falling sales among Japan's top car makers, with sales at Kia and Hyundai up over 28 per cent and ten per cent respectively.

European manufacturers also posted better sales figures in the US. The big German car makers; Volkswagen, BMW, Audi and Mercedes all saw deliveries up on last July.

Overall, industry car sales rose by just 0.9 per cent in July, taking the annual rate to 12.23 million vehicles.

Source:

UPDATE 7-U.S. automakers warn of fragile demand (02/08/11)

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