Frigid End Can’t Stop Best U.S. Auto Sales Year Since ’07

A sluggish December failed to derail the U.S. auto industry’s best year since 2007, as sales of Ford Motor Co.’s Fusion surged to a record, Chrysler Group LLC posted its 45th straight month of sales increases and General Motors Co.’s Cadillac cars soared 48 percent.

While cold and nasty weather on the East Coast and Midwest last month slowed GM’s sales gains for the year and left its top U.S. market share little changed for 2013, Ford boosted the second-largest share to 15.9 percent from 15.5 percent and Chrysler increased its No. 4 market share to 11.5 percent from 11.4 percent. The three Detroit-area automakers came within about one-20th of a percentage point of posting market share gains in the same year for the first time since 1988, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.