Honda and Nissan vehicles each set February U.S. records according to their latest monthly sales reports.
Sales of Honda models increased by nearly 15 percent compared to February of 2015, largely on the strength of smaller Civic and Accord cars. Civic sales set a February record and increased by more than 30 percent, while Accord sales jumped by nearly 20 percent.
"Honda cars are defying industry trends, even as our light truck models are red hot this winter," said Honda Division general manager Jeff Conrad.
Nissan, meanwhile, reported a nearly 13 percent increase in its vehicle sales, led by a 34 percent increase in Sentra sales and Maxima sales that more than doubled compared to the previous February.
Each company's luxury division, however, fell last month. Honda's Acura declined 1.7 percent while Nissan's Infiniti decreased 11 percent. Overall Honda and Nissan sales increased by 12.8 percent and 10.5 percent, respectively.
Toyota, the world's largest automaker, reported a U.S. sales increase of just more than 4 percent. Toyota models increased by 4.7 percent while Lexus cars dropped by nearly 16 percent.
Among U.S. automakers, Ford sales increased by 20 percent, helped by a record February for SUV sales. Unlike its foreign counterparts, the Lincoln luxury line increased by 30 percent.
Fiat Chrysler reported its best February since 2006 after sales increased by 12 percent. Jeep, Ram Truck and Dodge each showed double-digit sales increases, while Fiat fell by 9 percent and Chrysler declined by 26 percent.
General Motors sales, meanwhile, fell by 1.5 percent, which the automaker attributed to planned reductions in rental deliveries. GM's retail deliveries were up 7 percent last month.
Those six companies comprised more than 75 percent of the U.S. auto market in January, according to numbers from The Wall Street Journal.
German automaker Volkswagen, meanwhile, saw sales fall by more than 13 percent in February — the latest monthly decline in the wake of its diesel emissions scandal.
