Automakers rebound in September

DETROIT — Toyota, Honda, Ford, General Motors, Nissan and Volkswagen all posted strong monthly U.S. sales numbers, confirming expectations that a boost in sales from hurricane-ravaged Texas would push the industry to a September rebound.

GM reported that sales rose 11.9 percent, while Ford sales rose 8.7 percent. Toyota posted a 14.9 percent increase, while Nissan sales were up 9.5 percent and Honda sales rose 6.8 percent. Volkswagen said its sales rose 33.2 percent over numbers that were depressed a year ago by its diesel emissions cheating scandal.

Of companies reporting this week, only Fiat Chrysler reported a sales decline. The Italian-American automaker posted a 10 percent drop on what it said was a planned reduction of sales to rental car companies.

While industry analysts had predicted a decent month due to Labor Day weekend deals and a boost from owners replacing hurricane-damaged vehicles, the strong increases are likely to surpass their forecasts when all the numbers are totaled later Tuesday. For instance, the auto website Edmunds.com expected overall sales to rise 0.4 percent from a year ago.

Overall industry sales fell 2.7 percent through the first eight months of the year and were off 1.9 percent in August as Hurricane Harvey battered Texas. Then in September, Irma hit Florida, where many dealerships were forced to close for a week or longer due to lack of electric power.

Ford gained 5,000 to 6,000 sales from replacement of flooded cars in the Houston area, where it offered employee pricing. But it lost about 1,000 in Florida due to closed dealerships, Vice President of Sales and Marketing Mark LaNeve said on a conference call. He expects industry sales to get a boost the rest of the year.

Strong pickup truck and SUV sales once again propelled the September increase.