Auto sales rebound in Canada, U.S.

Ford and General Motors saw their Canadian sales rise 10 per cent in October compared to a year earlier, according to figures released today.

Canadians bought 22,647 Ford models, up from 20,565 in October, 2012, keeping the U.S. automaker in first place.

Chrysler Canada Inc. said its October sales rose four per cent from year-earlier levels to 18,131, its best October sales record since 2002.

General Motors Co' outsold Chrysler, moving 20,503 vehicles, bolstered by strong sales for its Cadillac and Buick lines.

GMs ailing truck sales have recovered after it boosted incentives, with sales up 14.9 per cent to 14,334 units.

Overall cars sales in Canada slumped 10.2 per cent to 4,428 units, while truck sales climbed 16.5 percent to 18,219.

Honda Canada reported that last month was its bestOctober in monthly sales since 2002. It saw combined sales from its Honda and luxury segment Acuraclimb to 15,302, a jump from 14 per cent from October 2012 sales.

Honda sales were up 19 per cent over the last year, coming in at13,770 units while Acura sales were down 19 per cent, to 1,532units.

"Honda Canada Inc. surpassed an eleven-year-old October monthlysales record this month, which was bolstered by double digit growthof Honda Automobile Division's small cars, Fit and Civic," saidDave Gardner, vice-president of sales and marketing, Honda CanadaInc.

Japanese automaker Toyota Canada Inc. said it saw anuptick of 3.5 per cent in sales of its cars and trucks in October,helped by its popular RAV4 sport utility vehicles. For the month,Toyota had combined sales of 15,593.

The strong October sales in Canada echoed U.S. sales, which seemed to defy the government shutdown to bounce back from a dismal September.

Chrysler, Ford, General Motors and Nissan all posted healthy October sales increases as the U.S. auto industry proved a bright spot in the economy.

Industry analysts predict a gain on the month of 8-to-13 per cent, with sales running at an annual rate of about 15.4 million.American buyers seem to be satisfying pent-up demand for vehicles after the long recession.