In this May 24, 2011 photo, 2012 Chrysler 200 vehicles are seen on the assembly line at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Sterling Heights, Mich. Chrysler Group LLC said Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, its September auto sales rose 27.2 percent on high demand for its new models.(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
In this May 24, 2011 photo, 2012 Chrysler 200 vehicles are seen on the assembly line at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Sterling Heights, Mich. Chrysler Group LLC said Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, its September auto sales rose 27.2 percent on high demand for its new models.(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
In this Aug. 30, 2011 photo, a 2012 Chevrolet Cruze is displayed at a car dealership in San Jose, Calif. General Motors Co., reported Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, total sales of 207,145 vehicles in September, a 20 percent increase compared with September, 2010. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
DETROIT (AP) ? Pickups and SUVs helped accelerate U.S. auto sales in September, although carmakers remain concerned that worries about the economy could dampen demand later this fall.
General Motor Co.'s sales rose 20 percent compared with last September, led by a 34-percent rise in full-size pickups and SUV sales. Chrysler Group LLC's overall sales rose 27 percent.
The growth built on a healthy performance in August, when new models, cheaper financing and pent-up demand lifted the industry after several disappointing months.
September truck sales benefited from falling gas prices, a need to replace aging fleets, and promotions to clear out older models from showrooms.
Sales promotions were especially helpful, according to Jeff Schuster, executive director of global forecasting for J.D. Power and Associates. GM, for example, was offering zero-percent financing and $1,000 cash on the 2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 pickup. Sales of the Silverado, one of America's best-selling vehicles, rose 36 percent. Ram pickup sales were especially strong at Chrysler.
Small businesses also needed to buy new trucks.
"There remains an older fleet of commercial-use trucks with small and medium contractors, so some of those could be coming back into the market to take advantage of the current conditions," Schuster said.
Sales of the Chevrolet Cruze compact, while still strong at just over 18,000, fell below 20,000 last month for the first time since March. That's a sign that Honda and Toyota, which had been short of small cars due to parts shortages from the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan, have replenished dealer lots. The Cruze was the top-selling passenger car in the U.S. earlier this summer.
The Labor Day holiday likely gave sales a boost. So did Hurricane Irene, which pushed some sales from August into September.
Analysts had expected U.S. vehicle sales to rise in September as more Japanese vehicles fill showrooms after months of earthquake-related shortages.
But the jump in sales should be short-lived because potential car buyers remain worried about the economy. Edmunds.com last week reduced its full-year sales forecast from 12.9 million vehicles to 12.6 million vehicles because of the economy.
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AP Auto Writer Bree Fowler contributed from New York.
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