by Calculated Risk on 2/01/2011 11:09:00 AM

Note: The real key is the seasonally adjusted annual sales rate (SAAR) compared to the last few months, not the year-over-year comparison provided by the automakers. But this is a strong increase for GM ...

From MarketWatch: GM's January U.S. sales jump 21.8%

[GM] said January U.S. sales rose 21.8% to 178,896 cars and trucks. Excluding discontinued brands, sales of GM's four core nameplates rose 23%.

Once all the reports are released, I'll post a graph of the estimated total January light vehicle sales (SAAR) - usually around 4 PM ET. Most estimates are for an increase to 12.6 million SAAR in January from the 12.5 million SAAR in December. Sales in December 2009 were at a 10.7 million SAAR.

I'll add reports from the other major auto companies as updates to this post.

Update from MarketWatch: Ford January U.S. sales rise 13.3%

Update from MarketWatch: Chrysler U.S. January sales up 22.7% to 70,118