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US car sales surge 18pc in January
US car sales jumped by about 18 per cent in January, led by gains for General Motors and Chrysler as the two Detroit carmakers restructured by the US government took share from rivals. GM posted a 22 per cent sales gain, pushing its market share above 20 per cent. Chrysler, which is pushing toward an initial public offering of stock in the second half of 2011, had a 23 per cent sales gain. Other major carmakers trailed with double-digit sales gains: Toyota Motor sales jumped 17 per cent; Honda Motor and Nissan Motor sales were up 15 per cent and Ford Motor sales improved by 13 per cent.