US demand for trucks, SUVs helps February sales

DETROIT (AP) — Lured by Presidents Day deals, U.S. buyers snapped up pickups and SUVs in February, brightening what is usually a lackluster month for the auto industry.

Overall sales of new vehicles had been expected to fall slightly from last February as automakers cut back on deliveries to rental-car companies and other fleets.

Sales of the Chevrolet Silverado pickup jumped 17 percent from last February to more than 50,500 trucks, while Ford sold nearly 69,000 SUVs — a February record.

Ford was offering $15,000 off on a 2016 Focus electric, while GM was offering zero-percent financing and up to $10,000 off certain GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado pickups, according to car shopping site Autotrader.com.