Chrysler sales increase in December

Automaker Chrysler on Wednesday reported a 37 percent rise in U.S. new-vehicle sales in December thanks to a refreshed lineup of cars and trucks. The increase was in line with forecasts by some industry research firms, according to Detroit news reports. The monthly figure a year earlier was 100,702. The Fiat-controlled company, which filed for bankruptcy in 2009, also said Wednesday that it sold 1.37 million vehicles in the United States in 2011, up 26 percent from 2010. "Chrysler Group finished a year of growth on a strong note with our December retail sales soaring 45 percent to our highest dealer retail sales in four years," said Reid Bigland, Chrysler's U.S. sales chief.