Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Chrysler says its January sales in the U.S. rose 44 percent over a year ago on gains from its Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram brands.

The increase is a sign that U.S. car sales started 2012 on a strong note, continuing their brisk pace from late last year.

Chrysler says it was the company's best January tally in four years. Sales of the Chrysler brand led the way with an 81 percent increase. Chrysler 200 sedan sales were eight times higher than a year ago.

The company is the first automaker to report sales on Wednesday.

Auto sales began a slow recovery late last year.

Industry analysts expect another strong month because buyers need to replace aging vehicles. They're also taking advantage of low interest rates and greater loan availability.