Automobile Sales Rise 18% in May

U.S. automobile and light truck sales rose 18% in May to 1.4 million vehicles, news services reported.

May sales ran at a 13.8 million seasonally adjusted annual rate, Bloomberg reported, citing Autodata Corp. figures.

Toyota Motor Corp. had the largest gain, with deliveries jumping 87% to 202,973 vehicles for the month, Bloomberg said.

General Motors Co.’s sales rose 11% to 245,256 vehicles, Chrysler Group LLC’s gained 30% to 150,041 and Ford Motor Co.’s increased 13% to 215,699 units.

Honda Motor Co.’s sales rose 48% to 133,997 vehicles, Bloomberg reported. Nissan Motor Co.’s sales slipped 11% to 22,690.

Korea-based affiliates Hyundai and Kia Motors Corp. combined to sell 11% more vehicles than a year earlier.

Volkswagen AG reported combined VW and Audi brand sales by 24% in May, Bloomberg reported.