• by Karl Greenberg , January 4, 2012

It was a warm December, and the auto market was also pretty hot. Automakers rolled into January with a tailwind, reporting big sales numbers for the last month of the year, and lots of monthly and yearly records. 

Jesse Toprak of TrueCar.com says 2011 was actually unusual in its predictability. "What we are used to in the car industry are big swings, but this past year we didn't have that; from the forecasting point of view, we had our best year because it was so predictable that we were never off more than 2 or 3%."

This year -- barring major global or cataclysmic events -- will be similar, he says. "There just aren't a lot of uncertainties based on what we know today. We see about 13.8 million units in 2012; healthy, stable growth, not as exciting as some might have expected, but if you look at it, the growth in the industry is happening organically without incentives or government help."

Growth will be driven by pent-up demand coupled with a lack of late-model used cars, Toprak says, because since new-vehicle sales skidded to around 10 million vehicles in 2008 and 2009, "there isn't a supply of newer used cars in the market. That means the price for a three-year-old pre-owned car has gone up. And if those prices go high enough, it will push people toward new cars," he says, adding that this will be the case for three years, assuming volume stays at 13 to 14 million new cars per year.

Volkswagen, which is staking its claim on the U.S. market in coming years, posted its best December since 1972, with a 36.2% sales increase for the month. Volkswagen's Passat -- now being built in the company's first U.S. plant, which opened in Chattanooga, Tenn. in May -- had a 124% increase versus 2010.

The company posted a 54.5% increase in sales of the Jetta car in December; the Golf increased 22.8%, the GTI 22.6%, Eos was up 12.6% and the Touareg SUV saw a 60% increase versus 2010.

Toprak points out that VW is an anomaly because, while it is the second-largest automaker in the world, it is a relatively small player in the American market. "They are extremely determined and passionate, and they will be aggressive," he says. "Now they have a U.S. plant here, so you will see them climb the charts."

Chrysler Group -- which has more lives than a cat -- had a remarkable 2011, posting its best retail month in four years for December, topping a year with overall sales up 26%. The Auburn Hills, Mich. company said it gained 1.3 percentage points of market share last year, which ended with what it said was its seventh consecutive month of sales gains of at least 20%.

Chrysler division sales were up 83% -- the highest-percentage sales increase of all Chrysler Group brands, per the company. Sales of the Chrysler 200 mid-size sedan were up 661% compared with sales of its predecessor a year ago; the Chrysler 300 posted its best sales month of the year and the best December sales since 2007.

Fiat, which has struggled to get sales moving for the 500 car, saw a 44% improvement versus November. Jeep posted its best sales month since Dec. 2007, with the Jeep Grand Cherokee getting its best sales month in six years. Perennial favorite Jeep Wrangler sets new records for December, according to the company.

Hyundai and sibling Kia boasted record sales. The latter posted its best-ever December with an increase of more than 42%, as well as its best year and best market share in 2011.

General Motors sold 234,351 vehicles last month, a 5% improvement over the month last year (a 2% improvement at retail), leading to a full-year 14% gain to 2.5 million units.  General Motors sold 12% more cars, 14% fewer crossovers, and 13% more trucks, vans and truck-based SUVs.

The automaker saw big gains for smaller vehicles, with a 42% increase in sales of Chevrolet Sonic over the Aveo subcompact that was Sonic's predecessor, a 54% percent increase in Chevrolet Cruze sales, a 20% increase for the Chevrolet Camaro and a 13% increase for the Chevrolet Malibu.  Also, not withstanding the sturm und drang about the Volt, December was the electric/gas car's best yet, accounting for 1,500 units delivered.