GM Projecting Record Month as Ford Tops Estimates

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles kept its streak of monthly sales alive as its U.S. deliveries were up 14% during September powered by a 40% rise by Jeep.

GM, Nissan, and Ford beat estimates, while Fiat Chrysler and GM projected a sales pace that was faster than the rest of the industry has seen in the past decade.

The automaker that is Italian-American reported 193,015 vehicles sold last month, matching the increase predicted by an average of analyst estimates.

Sports utility vehicles for Jeep, led by Cherokee record, had their second biggest month every as deliveries of Fiat Chrysler gained for the 66th consecutive month.

Sales strength last month, was broad based with five vehicles from FCA setting sales records in September and two others posting their best ever sales months.

America’s love of SUVs and pickups, fueled by affordable fuel available credit and brand new technology, is helping to push sales of automobiles to their highest mark in over a decade.

An industry researcher has raised its sales forecast for light vehicles for the year by over 100,000 to a total of 17.2 million. Another boosted its estimate for 2015 by 200,000 to more than 17.4 million, which is a level that would equal a record set back in 2000.

GM sales were up 12%, exceeding the estimates for a gain of 9.3%, while Ford’s deliveries of light vehicles jumped by 23%, which topped projections for an increase of 19%.

The industry might show a jump of 13% in light truck and car deliveries for rate annualized and adjusted for trends during seasons of more than 17.7 million.

Fiat Chrysler forecasted a selling pace of 18.4 million for September, including medium as well as heavy trucks that usually account for a minimum of 200,000 deliveries.

GM projected a pace for the year of 18.3 million for its light vehicles.

That would be its best selling rate since the middle of 2005, when its reached more than 20.9 million in July of that year, when DaimlerChrysler and Ford followed by GM with offers of employee prices for all clients.