Audi, Mercedes Honda up, GM, Ford, Toyota and Chrysler down

All 4 of NASCAR manufacturers (Ford, GM, Dodge and Toyota) saw sales drop in February, while the non-NASCAR manufacturers saw sales rise in February.

Audi of America, Inc. announced today sales for the month of February totaling 6,152, a decrease of 6.9% from last year’s figures. Audi Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) sales continued their record-setting trend; compared with last year’s February figures, CPO sales came to 3,021 units, an increase of 57%.

German car maker Daimler AG said Tuesday that unit sales at it's Mercedes-Benz Cars division totaled 96,600 vehicles in February 2008, an increase of 18% from the figure recorded for the same month last year, 82,000 units, setting a new benchmark. In addition, deliveries of Mercedes-Benz, AMG, smart, and Maybach brand vehicles over the first two months of the year rose 17% to the record level of 187,000 units, compared to 159,700 in the first two months of 2007.

The Mercedes-Benz brand also set a record in February by posting a sales increase of 13% to 87,800 units worldwide compared to 78,000 in February 2007.

A total of 170,100 customers worldwide opted for a vehicle of the brand with the star over the first two months of the year, up from 151,500 in the first two months of 2007, an increase of 12% from the same period last year, and also the best performance ever for that calendar period.

General Motors Corp. Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. today said their U.S. sales declined in February, while American Honda Motor Co. Inc. recorded a 5 percent gain.

Chrysler and GM each posted double-digit declines — in part, GM said, due to a tough comparison with a strong month last February.