ALEXANDRIA, Va. –

Import brands grabbed their largest U.S. market share in a year and pushed sales up 12 percent during March, according to the American International Automobile Dealers Association, which released its monthly look at import automaker sales on Wednesday.

Overall, imports moved 791,169 new vehicles in the U.S. last month for a 12-percent year-over-year gain, AIADA said, citing Autodata Corp. figures. Compared to February, sales climbed 25.4 percent.

So far this year, these brands have sold 1.93 million new rides, up 14.6 percent from the first three months of 2011.

“Consumer confidence is at its highest measured point since February 2011,” said AIADA president Cody Lusk. “Americans are ready to buy, and international nameplate dealers are well-stocked with fuel-efficient, stylish and safe vehicles to meet every demand.”

Imports commanded a 56.3-percent U.S. market share last month. The last time it was that high was March 2011.

Breaking it down, Asian brands took a 47.6-percent share, and Europeans came in at 8.7 percent. The Big 3 took 43.7 percent of the market.

Among the larger import brands, Volkswagen had the heftiest sales uptick, as its March numbers climbed 35 percent from 2011. As noted previously in Auto Remarketing, VW enjoyed its best March in 39 years. Other imports showing rather large gains were Nissan (up 14.8 percent), Subaru (up 20.3 percent) and
Toyota (up 17.7 percent), just to name a few.

AIADA also emphasized that imports were well represented in the list of hottest-selling vehicles in the U.S. last month, claiming six of the top 10 spots and four of the top six. The Toyota Camry, in particular, remained the No. 2-selling vehicle in the nation and was the top car.