The beginning of spring and steady economic growth drove a 4.1% sales increase in April, with sales totaling 5.13 million units, according to Autodata Corp. The seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) for the month was 16.04 million, up from last April’s 15.19 million rate but down slightly from March’s 16.4 million SAAR. The following is a breakdown of sales performance by manufacturer:

BMW: The BMW Group reported April sales of 29,592 vehicles, a 2% increase from one year ago. Year to date, BMW was up 2.5% on sales of 110,626 in the first four months of 2014. Sales of BMW brand vehicles increased 8.5% from a year ago for a total of 25,202 units sold.

MINI USA posted sales of 4,390 units, a decrease of 24.1% from the same month one year ago. Leading the way was the 2 Series, up 16.1% to 727 units, the 3 and 4 Series, up 18.9% to 9,794 units, the X3, up 85.2% to 3,544 units, and the X5, up 27.6% to 4,393 units.

Chrysler: Chrysler Group LLC reported its best April sales since 2007, with sales increasing 14% from a year ago to 178,652 units. The Jeep (up 46%), Ram Truck (up 26%) and FIAT (up 16%) brands each posted year-over-year sales gains vs. a year ago, while Chrysler (down -12%) and Dodge (down -6%) were down on a year-over-year basis.

Seven Chrysler Group vehicles set sales records in April. The Ram pickup truck, Jeep Patriot, Jeep Wrangler, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Journey, and Ram Cargo Van each posted their best sales for the month of April. Sales of the Dodge Grand Caravan were up 36%, the largest year-over-year percentage sales increase of any Dodge brand model in April. Additionally, the Jeep Compass recorded its best sales month ever.

Ford: April sales for the domestic automaker declined 0.8% from a year ago to 210,355 units sold. However, the Ford F-Series realized its best April sales since 2006 with 63,387 units sold. The Ford Explorer also posted its best April sales since 2005 with 16,629 units sold.

Lincoln sales were up 21% on a year-to-date basis, with the new MKC coming this summer.

General Motors: The domestic automaker reported a 7% sales increase vs. one year ago, with the company delivering 254,076 vehicles in April. On a year-to-date basis, sales increased marginally by 0.1%. Officials said retail sales were solid for the month as the economy continues to strengthen.

Sales of the Chevrolet Impala were up 27%, while sales of the Spark were up 24%. GMC sales were up 13%, marking the brand’s best April since 2007. As for Cadillac, the brand’s CTS line was up 36% from a year ago, with sales of the sedan up 68% on the strength of the all-new 2014 model. It was named Motor Trend’s Car of the Year. SRX deliveries were up 31% from a year ago, marketing vehicle’s best April ever.

Sales of the Buick Regal were also up 12%, marking the brand’s best April since 2006. The results were driven by a 48% increase in Encore deliveries, as well as a 21% increase in Regal sales and a 10% increase in LaCrosse sales.

Honda: The Japanese automaker realized a 1.1% increase in April sales from a year ago, with sales totaling 132,456 units. The Honda Division also realized a 1.1% increase in sales from a year ago, with April sales totaling 118,334. The Acura division posted a 1.6% increase in sales from a year ago, with sales totaling 14,122. Leading the way for Honda’s luxury brand were sales of light trucks, which increased 35.9% from a year ago to 9,536 units sold.

On a year-to-date basis, Honda sales reached 457,810, down 2.3% from the first four months of 2013.

Hyundai: The Korean automaker recorded an all-time record in April, with sales improving 4.4% from a year ago to 66,107 units sold. Leading the way was the Accent, up 36%, followed closely by both the Santa Fe and Sonata, up 30%. The Sonata Hybrid realized its best month ever with 2,055 units sold in April, up 8.6% from a year ago. Sales of the Equus increased 9.2% from a year ago.

Mazda: The automaker reported its best April sales since 2008, with sales increasing 12.8% from a year ago to 22,434 units. The Mazda3 realized its best April performance since 2010, with sales increasing 21.5% from a year ago to 8,586 units sold. Sales of the CX-5 totaled 6,835 units, an 9.2% increase from a year ago — marking the vehicle’s best April sales ever.

Mercedes-Benz: The German automaker recorded its best-ever April with 29,329 units sold (up 12.1% from a year ago) across the Mercedes-Benz, Sprinter and smart model lines. Sales of the Mercedes-Benz brand alone totaled 25,887 units for the month, an increase of 9.5%. On a year-to-date basis, sales totaled 98,501 for the first four months of the year, up 6.1% from the same period last year.

Leading the way was the E-Class, with sales increasing 36.7% from a year ago to 6,056 units sold. Sales of the C-Class totaled 5,114, while sales of the M-Class increased 16.8% from a year ago to 3,831 units sold. The flagship S-Class achieved its seventh month of double-digit year-over-year sales gains, with sales increasing 73.1% from a year ago to 1,909 units sold.

Mitsubishi: The OEM reported April sales of 6,542, a 46.6% increase vs. one year ago. The automaker’s April performance also marked its second highest monthly sales total for Mitsubishi in more than two years. The Outlander Sport led the way with its third-best monthly sales total of 2,619, up 24.1% from a year ago. Sales of the all-new Mitsubishi Mirage totaled 1,331 units, the third-best all-time monthly sales total for that model.

Nissan: The Japanese automaker announced total U.S. sales for April of 103,934 units, an increase of 18.3% from a year ago. The Nissan Division also set an April sales record, with sales increasing 18.5% from a year ago to 94,764 units sold. The performance also marked a monthly record for the Nissan division in 13 of the last 14 months.

Sales of Rogue crossovers also established an April record with sales totaling 15,066 units, an increase of 26.6% from a year ago. Sales of the all-electric Nissan LEAF increased 7.8% from a year ago to 2,088 units sold. Sales of the LEAF have increased 33% so far in 2014, officials said.

Infiniti reported U.S. sales of 9,170 units in April, an increase of 16.9% from a year ago. Deliveries of the Infiniti Q50 sports sedan totaled 2,626 units in April. Overall, sales of Infiniti sports sedans, which include the Infiniti G37, rose 54% from a year ago to 4,151 units sold.

Toyota: The Japanese automaker reported that sales in April totaled 199,660 units, a 9% increase from a year ago. The Toyota division posted April sales of 176,495 units, up 7.4% from a year ago. Lexus reported April sales of 23,165 units, a 23.1% increase

By model, sales of the Toyota Camry increased 20% from a year ago to 38,000 units, while sales of the all-new Corolla increased 20% to 30,000 units sold. Sales for Toyota’s truck division were up almost 16%, while the RAV4 realized its best-ever April with more than 19,000 units sold.  As for Lexus, the IS posted a triple-digit gain for the fifth month in a row, while sales of the GS were up 21%. 

Volkswagen: April sales for the German automaker totaled 30,831 units, an 8.4% decrease from a year ago. Sales of TDI Clean Diesel models, however, were strong, accounting for 30.6% of the brand’s sales. The month also marked the best April for TDI vehicles ever. As Volkswagen prepares for the launch of the all-new family of Golf vehicles, sales of the current generation totaled 1,798 units. The all-new 2015 model Golf and GTI will go on sale later this summer.

Audi realized its best-ever April and its 40^th consecutive record sales month with more than 15,000 vehicles sold. Luxury sedan sales remained strong as sales of the Audi A6 increased 11.9% to 2,132 vehicles sold. Year-to-date sales of the A6 increased 20.5% to 7,568 vehicles sold. Sales of the Audi A7 rose 26.5% on a year-to-date basis to 816 vehicles sold, while sales of the A7 increased 7.1% to 2,922 vehicles sold.

Porsche reported April sales of 4,072 vehicles, beating last April’s sales total by 40 units. The automaker’s April performance also marked an all-time, any-month record for Porsche sales. For the year so far, Porsche has delivered 14,208 vehicles vs. 13,681 during the same period last year.