As falling oil prices continue to drive consumers toward sport utility vehicles and trucks, Japanese automakers kicked off 2015 by posting double-digit growth in the U.S. with Nissan overtaking Honda become the fifth-largest automaker in the country, according to data from Autodata Corp.
Boosted by an extra day of sales in January, dealers welcomed customers in levels not since 2001. Last year they were kept away from showrooms when severe winter weather struck parts of the U.S.
"The encouraging January results on top of positive economic news, including a seven-year high in consumer confidence, bodes well for the months ahead," Toyota group Vice President Bill Fay said in a monthly sales call.