AutoNation Sales Up 12% Last Month

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami/AP) – Sales of new cars and trucks at AutoNation Inc., the largest auto dealer in the U.S., really rolled along last month.

The Ft. Lauderdale based company said new vehicle sales were up 12 percent in April.  The automotive retailer said it sold a total of 20,534 cars and trucks in April. Sales of imported vehicles increased 16 percent to 10,358, while demand for domestic vehicles rose 9 percent to 6,306.

Sales of premium and luxury vehicles rose 10 percent to 3,870, AutoNation said.

Automakers reported Tuesday that overall U.S. vehicle sales rose 2.3 percent in April to 1.18 million cars and trucks. Sales were still strong, but growth slowed a bit from earlier in the year.