In 2015, automakers sold 17.47 million vehicles, according to Autodata. It bested what Kelly Blue Book reported as the previous record of 17.35 million in 2000.
Low gas prices, cheap credit, low unemployment, high consumer confidence and good weather brought a rush of buyers into showrooms in December.
Consumers continued their flight from less-lucrative cars into crossovers, sport-utility vehicles and pickups amid low gasoline prices.
At 13.9 percent of market share, the small SUV segment is now the largest category of vehicles in the United States. It is followed by small cars and midsize cars at 13.7 percent each, according to Kelly Blue Book.
Quoted in USA Today, AutoTrader.com analyst Michelle Krebs said, “There’s no end in sight to those trends.”
In December, General Motors had a 5.7 percent increase in sales, Ford Motor saw an 8.3 percent boost, and Fiat Chrysler sales rose 12.6 percent, according to Autodata.
Tesla Motors doubled sales during the month and sold 23,650 of its luxury electric cars in the U.S. for the year.
Among Asian makers, Toyota saw a 10.3 percent increase for the month, but it posted only a 5.3 percent increase for the year.
Honda was at 9.9 percent, and Nissan at 8.7 percent.
