U-S car sales rose about two percent in April from the same month last year.
That's better news than it sounds, according to Michelle Krebs of Edmunds dot com. She says there were three fewer selling days this April than there were last year.
Krebs says small car sales remained brisk in April, because of high gas prices. But she says sales of midsize cars like the Honda Accord and Chevy Malibu are also increasing.
"Ffor not a lot more money than you'd pay for a smaller car, with very little sacrifice in fuel economy if any, you get a bigger car with more room," says Krebs. "And of course in America bigger is better."
GM and Ford's April sales declined from last year. Both companies sold fewer cars to fleet customers like rental car companies.
Chrysler's sales rose 20-percent.
Toyota, Volkswagen and Subaru also saw big percentage increases.
Krebs says Toyota's inventories have finally been replenished after last year's supply disruption related to the tsunami in Japan.
And Toyota has introduced two new versions of the Prius, including the Prius C, which Krebs says is selling "like hotcakes."