Nissan July U.S. Sales Rise More Than Analysts Had Predicted

In this Thursday, July 2, 2015, photo, Robert Schemer, his wife, Kelly, and their son Graham, 9, pose next to their newly purchased pre-owned 2013 Ford Flex Limited, at the Star Ford Lincoln dealership in Glendale, Calif. At right is sales consultant Allan Calix.

Fiat Chrysler projected total industry sales in the U.S.to be a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 17.8 million units for July, which would be among the best in a decade. Sales in the Ram pickup truck line rose one percent.

Thomson ReutersFiat Chrysler assembly workers work on partially assembled minivans at the Windsor Assembly Plant in Windsor, OntarioDETROIT (Reuters) – Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Nissan Motor Co Ltd said on Monday their U.S. July sales outstripped expectations on the strength of sport utility vehicles sales.

FCA has extended its streak of year-over-year sales gains to 64-consecutive months.

The automaker stated that the profit spike was due to a revived European market, as well as the strengthening of sales in North America.

Ford posted a 5% increase, fueled by a 13% rise in sales of SUVs and crossovers and a 6% rise in truck sales.

But that spelled sales declines for many small models, leaving distinct questions about how the automakers can sell fuel-sipping cars without piling on incentives.

U.S. auto sales have been pushing higher, helped by continued demand for SUVs and trucks. TrueCar said sales of luxury vehicles are rising at double the pace of mass-market brands.

Fiat Chrysler’s sales rose 6 percent over last July, led by its premium Jeep brand, which saw a 23-percent increase.

Sales of Ford’s SUV Explorer soared 27 percent, and its smaller SUV Escape had a 10 percent increase.

Nissan said its sales grew 7.8% to 130,872 vehicles, slightly below the 132,388 units Edmunds.com had forecast. Sales of midsize sedans like the Altima have been struggling as buyers pass them over for small SUVs, so automakers have been trying to entice buyers with deals.