Industry sales jumped out to their strongest pace since April, with the industry recording a 10 percent sales increase in September, according to AutoData Corp. Leading the way were Chrysler, Mazda, Nissan and Volkswagen, all of which recorded sales increases of 25 percent or more.

Toyota and Honda continued to be slowed by low inventory levels, with both companies posting sales decrease for the month. BMW bounced back from its August dip with a double-digit increase, while Ford continued to enjoy increases thanks to strong demand for its utility segment models.

Audi: Audi of America recorded its best-ever September in the U.S.  market with 9,725 units sold, a 19.3 percent gain over September 2010. September 2011 also marked the ninth consecutive month of record-setting sales for the brand in the U.S. market. The company also reported that Audi’s year-to-date sales date grew 15.5 percent to 84,981 units sold.

BMW: BMW Group reported September sales of 25,749 vehicles, an increase of 11.4 percent vs. last year. BMW brand sales increased 19.3 percent year over year to 21,750 units, while MINI USA brand sales were down 18.1 percent to 3,999 units. Year to date, BMW Group’s sales were up 14.2 percent to 219,314 in the first nine months of 2011 vs. the year ago period.

Chrysler: Chrysler Group’s total sales increased 27 percent vs. last September, marking the company’s best September total sales since 2007. The increase also marked the 18th-consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains, with Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram Truck brands all posting sales increases in September vs. the year ago period. The company attributes the 27 percent sales increase to a 50 percent jump in retail sales for the month.

Ford: Ford Motor Co.’s September sales totaled 175,199 units, a 9 percent year-over-year increase thanks to a 35 percent increase in Ford brand utilities and a 15 percent gain in Ford truck sales. Ford brand sales were up 14 percent, due in part to increases in Escape (up 41 percent) and Explorer sales (up 204 percent). The F-Series passed the 50,000 vehicle mark, posting its best sales month of the year with 54,410 units sold.

GM: General Motors Co. reported a 20 percent year-over-year increase in total sales, with the company reporting that 207,145 vehicles were sold in September. Retail deliveries were up 19 percent vs. last year and accounted for 74 percent of GM sales. GM also reported that passenger car sales increased 12 percent, crossover sales increased 7 percent and truck sales, which include full-size pickups and SUVs, increased 34 percent.

Honda: American Honda Motor Co.’s September sales totaled 89,532 vehicles, a decrease of 8 percent. Despite strong sales of the CR-V, Pilot and Odyssey, Honda Division’s September sales declined 8.2 percent to 79,522 units. The CR-V was the top-selling model for September, with sales increasing 9.5 percent to 19,604 units. Acura Division September sales also were down, dropping 6.6 percent on a year-over-year basis.

Hyundai: Hyundai Motor America reported a 12 percent increase in total sales, with 52,051 vehicles sold in September. Strong consumer demand and improved vehicle availability helped retail sales increase by 16 percent vs. last year, according to Hyundai. The company’s Santa Fe and Tucson models recorded sales increases of 67 and 36 percent, respectively.

Mazda: Mazda North American Operations reported September sales of 25,521 vehicles, a 37.4 percent increase vs. the year-ago period. Mazda’s CX-7 and CX-9 crossover SUVs recorded their best-ever monthly sales increase, with sales of each model jumping 90.8 percent and 73.6 percent, respectively. Through the end of September, 2011 year-to-date sales are up 9.5 percent vs. last year.

Mercedes-Benz: Mercedes-Benz USA’s September sales increased 15.6 percent year over year, with 23,897 vehicles sold for the month. This marks the company's highest September volume on record. The highest volume performers for the month were the C-Class and E-Class model lines, which recorded sales of 6,865 units and 5,122 units, respectively. Sales of the 2012 CLS-Class increased 399.3 percent for the month, while sales of the new SLK roadster were up 50.8 percent vs. last year.

Mitsubishi:Mitsubishi Motors North America realized a 17 percent increase in total sales vs. last year, with 5,803 units sold in September. This marks the company’s highest sales total for the month of September since 2008, as well as Mitsubishi's highest January-through-September sales total since 2008. One of the company’s top performers for the month was the Outlander Sport model, with 1,512 units sold.

Nissan: Nissan North America Inc. reported September U.S. sales of 92,964 units, a 25.3 percent increase vs. the year-ago period. Nissan Division’s September sales increase 28.2 percent to 84,485 units sold. Infiniti vehicle sales increased 2.1 percent year over year to 8,479 units.
Sales of Nissan cars — including the Altima, Sentra, Maxima, and Versa — were up 32.3 percent, setting a September record for total car sales, according to the company.

Toyota: Toyota Motor Sales USA’s September sales totaled 121,451 units, a decrease of 17.5 percent vs. the year-ago period. Toyota Division September sales were down 18.2 percent to 106,456 vehicles sold, while Lexus Division’s September sales were down 11.5 percent.

Volkswagen: Volkswagen of America’s September sales totaled 27,036 units for the month, a 35.6 percent increase vs. the year-ago period. The company also reported that it sold 722 and 3,176 units of the 2012 Beetle and Passat, respectively. Both models were launched in September. Volkswagen also announced that year-to-date sales are up 22.2 percent, with GTI sales up 43.4 percent and Golf sales up 19.4 percent.