American automakers’ sales spike in November

With a rise in demand for trucks and SUVs, American automakers saw their profits spike in November when compared to the previous year.

Ford, General Motors and Chrysler all posted double-digit sales gains over November of 2009. Ford's profit was up 24 percent, with truck sales specifically up 34 percent. GM had a 12 percent gain, but the figure rises to 21 percent if the discontinued Pontiac and Saturn brands are excluded from the numbers.

Chrysler also had a good month, with its 17 percent sales increase representing the eighth-straight year-on-year rise in totals. The Jeep and Ram brands carried the company as they had a 58 and 67 percent rise respectively while Chrysler and Dodge both decreased.

Across the Pacific, Hyundai and Kia continued their strong sales with a 46 percent increase. Nissan and Honda also enjoyed double-digit gains at 27 and 16 percent, respectively.

Toyota was the only company that truly stumbled, with a 3 percent decrease in revenue. The company has yet to fully recover from the recall scandal from earlier in 2010, which some analysts believe tarnished the brand's previous reputation for quality.