US carmakers set to reap further gains as oil falls

Southfield, Michigan

GM, Ford and other sellers of cars in the US, already benefiting from falling petrol prices, are poised for another year of gains in 2015 after oil dropped below US$50 a barrel for the first time in a half decade.

Light-vehicle sales may rise to 16.7 million or more this year, Toyota Motor Corp said on Monday, from 16.5 million in 2014, the most since 2006. That would be a sixth year of growth, building on December's 16.9 million annualised pace, adjusted for seasonal trends. All carmakers sold more cars and light trucks last month compared with a year earlier, and trucks closed out the year with 52 per cent of the market, outselling cars every month.