In March 2013, U.S. light vehicle sales were 1.45 million units, an increase of about 3% over the same period in 2012; sales in the first quarter were 3.69 million units, an increase of 6% year-on-year.

According to data from Autodata, in March, light vehicle sales in the U.S. auto market were 1,453,038 units, an increase of 3.4% from 1,404,699 units in March 2012, and the highest monthly sales since reaching a peak of 1.48 million units in August 2007. The cumulative sales of light vehicles in the United States in the first quarter was 3,689,089 units, compared with 3,467,609 units in the same period in 2012, a year-on-year increase of 6.4%. Although a slowdown from the double-digit percentage seen in multiple months in 2012, March is typically a month with a high comparison base.

In March, U.S. sedan sales fell slightly by 1% year-on-year to 759,172 units, while light trucks (including SUVs and pickups) increased by 9% year-on-year to 693,866 units.

Full-year sales are expected based on the monthly sales rate, with a seasonally adjusted annualized sales (SAAR) of 15.25 million units. This is the fifth consecutive month since 2008 that the SAAR of the US auto market has exceeded 15 million. 15.56 million in November 2012, 15.38 million in December, 15.3 million in January 2013, and 15.36 million in February.