DETROIT -- Most of the big car companies are reporting double-digit gains for January as last year's momentum in U.S. auto sales continues into 2013.
Sales at Toyota rose 27 percent and they jumped 22 percent at Ford. GM and Chrysler each reported 16 percent gains compared with a year earlier. It was Chrysler's best January in five years.
But Volkswagen, which reported a 31 percent increase in 2012, saw sales slow a bit, growing only 7 percent.
Other automakers report sales later Friday. The figures so far indicate that Americans bought new vehicles at a strong pace last month, as the industry remains a bright spot in a tepid U.S. economic recovery.