US automakers report big sales

American automakers - General Motors, Ford, Chrysler - posted double-digit increase in sales on year-on-year basis last month, according to latest statistics.

General Motors said Friday its October sales rose 15.7 percent to 226,402 in the country led by growing sales of its Malibu mid-size cars, Impala full size cars, Silverado and Sierra pickups, reports Xinhua.

Sales of Ford Motor company surged 14 percent last month to 191,985, the company's best retailing performance in October since 2004. Meanwhile, Chrysler Group LLC said its sales rose 11 percent to 140,083 last month, the automaker's best retail sales in October since 2007.

The auto sales for both Ford and Chrysler, however, narrowly missed analysts' expectations for the month. Sales of Chrysler's Ram pick-ups rose 18 percent to hit nearly 30,000. Some 5,120 Dodge Durango SUVs were also sold in the past months.

Market analysts say auto sales were mostly unaffected by the 16-day partial federal government shutdown in October.