By the Numbers

These were the ten best-selling vehicles in the United States in January 2015. While the leader may not surprise you, we think you'll find plenty of interesting facts and figures in the list, and the finishing order sometimes changes dramatically from month to month.

The 2015 Ford F-150 is off to a strong start. Here's why January's sales bode well for Ford's flagship pickup.

The year 2015 appears to be picking up right where 2014 left off, with every single auto company that sells vehicles in the United States reporting gains when compared to the same period a year ago. Trucks were the biggest driving factor in the race for sales supremacy.

US green-car sales in 2014 fell 6.5 percent from a year earlier as gas prices plunge. December green-car sales fall 7.8 percent.

We've compiled the sales numbers of all major automakers that sold cars and trucks in the United States in 2014. There are some standout performances, some noteworthy drops and overall very solid numbers in our chart that make it well worth a thorough examination.

Another month of auto sales is in the books, and this month, there's a new nameplate at the top of the heap.

Globally, 28 percent of car builds were white, leading every market, with black in second in every market.

Last month, Nissan and BMW helped stem a disconcerting (for green-car watchers, at least) trend of declining year-over-year sales, as increased demand for the Japanese and German automakers' plug-in models made November slightly less painful than October. The year-over year decline of hybrid, plug-in and diesel sales narrowed to 10 percent in November from 13 percent in October, as Americans bought more than 43,000 new green cars. Last month's plug-in sales reversed their temporary decline, incr

Ever have the feeling of deja vu?

Like the sun rising in the east, we thought we could always count on year-over-year US plug-in vehicle sales to rise. No longer. Sadly, even counting Tesla Motors' sales isn't likely to change that.

By now, most of the leaves have fallen across many of our fine 50 states, and the first snowfalls have just begun to spread their way across what had been such finely manicured lawns in the Midwestern part of the country. Children have entombed themselves into their rooms, Halloween candy nestled away for the winter, and the prime season for buying new cars is coming to an end.

Fiat Chrysler is recalling more than 566,000 trucks and SUVs in two recalls for malfunctioning fuel heaters that can cause fires and a software glitch can disable the electronic stability control.

In Michigan, a bill that would entrench the existing dealer networks and prohibit direct car sales to buyers has passed both the state's house and senate, and awaits Gov. Rick Snyder's signature.

This year's surge in new car sales could make for cheaper used cars down the road.

Fans of small victories will appreciate the "progress" that Americans made with their purchases of green-car vehicles last month. Automakers and everyone else, though, will scratch their heads. That's because green-car sales had their fourth straight down month in September, as Americans purchased about 42,000 hybrids, plug-ins and diesels last month. And while the deficit compared to last year wasn't as steep as August's 11 percent year-over-year decline, sales were still down 9.6 percent and c

Autumn is upon us – at least for those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere (happy Spring, friends in the Southern!) – and that means the weather is cooling off, the leaves on the trees are changing into beautiful colors and the hot, hot sales months of summertime are slowing down. Well, for the most part, at least.

Unlike a house, where it can take months or years to evict owners behind on their payments, some subprime lenders can now simply switch off a late borrower's car.

UPDATE: The story's been updated to factor in General Motors' complete advanced-powertrain sales numbers.

Americans love themselves some pickup trucks. It's a well-known fact, and it's demonstrated each and every month in the form of the top few nameplates as they appear on sales charts, starting with the Ford F-Series, as it has for, well, decades. More often than not, after that Blue Oval sits the Chevrolet Silverado. But not this month.

A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO broke the record for cars sold at auction when it went for $38 million Thursday night at a Bonhams auction during Monterey Car Week.

Heaven help the analyst trying to get a handle on year-over-year green-car sales numbers, because there is little rhyme or reason to them. Just when one would think the usual summertime bump in gas prices may spur more Americans to buy hybrids, plug-ins or diesels, the industry turns in another down month in July.