Nissan March US sales rise 13 percent to break record

DETROIT (AP) — Nissan says its March U.S. sales rose nearly 13 percent to hit its highest monthly total ever.

The automaker says it sold 163,559 Nissan and Infiniti models, suggesting that March likely will be another big month for the U.S. industry.

Analysts expect March sales to rise 7 percent to 8 percent over a year ago by the time automakers finish reporting numbers on Friday. Kelley Blue Book says sales should total around 1.66 million cars and trucks, which could be the biggest number for any month since July of 2005.

But some analysts say there are troubling signs for automakers beneath what could be record numbers. Spending on discounts is rising. Also increasing are low-profit sales to rental car companies, which some automakers use to boost their numbers.