US carmakers Ford and General Motors on Tuesday posted strong gains in January sales on the US market, while Japan's Toyota recorded a steep drop as consumers punished an unprecedented recall of more than 5 million cars in the United States, dpa reported.
Toyota's sales tumbled to 98,796 in January, down 15.8 per cent from the same month a year earlier.
The world's largest carmaker was forced last week to halt sales and production on eight models, due to sticking gas pedals blamed for dozens of deaths. The company said this week that it had devised a solution and would resume production on Monday.
Toyota's woes catapulted Ford back into second place on the US market, at least for January. The company sold 116,277 vehicles for the month, up 25 per cent from last year.
General Motors, the largest US carmaker, reported a 14.1-per-cent year-on-year gain in January to 146,315 vehicles as it continues to recover from last year's bankruptcy.
Total vehicle sales on the US market climbed 6.3 per cent to 698,346 in January, according to a compilation from research firm Autodata, a sign that the car industry is beginning to recover from a massive slowdown over the last two years.
Chrysler, which also went through bankruptcy last year and is now in the hands of Italy's Fiat, still reported an 8.1-per-cent decline in January vehicle sales to 57,143.
Honda's US sales dropped 5 per cent to 67,476 vehicles. Japan's second biggest carmaker has also been forced into recalling 646,000, mostly in North America and Britain, due to a potential fire hazard relating to power windows.
GM and Ford win, Toyota punished in January US sales battle
