Toyota, GM Post Sales Gains in February

The U.S. auto sales story line for nearly the past year has been Toyota Motor Corp. kicking the stuffing out of the Detroit Three, but there was a new twist in February. Yes, Toyota sales were up 12.2 percent, but General Motors Corp. showed a strong increase, surprising the industry by reporting a 3.7 percent year-over-year sales rise for the month.

"You can't base everything on one month, but you do need to look at some of the new products that they have coming out," said Rebecca Lindland, an industry analyst with Boston-based Global Insight. "They're just sort of gaining some attention from the fact that they are making strides with brands like Saturn."

GM's Detroit-area competitors, however, stayed in their funk, with Ford Motor Co. posting a 13.5 percent sales slide and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group with an 8.3 percent dip.