New auto sales up in 2021, but long way before full recovery

By TOM KRISHER
AP Auto Writer

DETROIT (AP) — U.S. new vehicle sales rebounded slightly last year from 2020′s dismal numbers, but were still about 2 million below the years before the coronavirus pandemic. The problem isn’t consumer demand. It’s low vehicle supplies caused by the global shortage of computer chips. Sales hit just over 15 million vehicles in 2021, up 3.4% from 2020, the year the pandemic took hold in the U.S. But during the five years before the pandemic, sales averaged 17.3 million. Most automakers are releasing December and full-year sales numbers on Tuesday. General Motors was unseated by Toyota as the nation’s top-selling automaker. GM sales were down nearly 13% while Toyota was up 10.4%