Toyota's 8.8% sales increase in October was led by the new Corolla with a jump of 12.8%.

Automakers enjoyed a return to robust sales in the United States in October. The strong sales came after some sluggishness early in the month due to the 16-day government shutdown. Buyers returned to showrooms en masse providing some automakers with record October sales for some models.

With the final numbers being tabulated, October sales are expected to be almost 13% higher than the previous October. In fact, the number of automakers seeing sales increases far outstripped those witnessing declines. Japanese- and U.S.-based both shared in the return to prosperity.

Toyota saw its sales jump 8.8% in October and its luxury subsidiary, Lexus, enjoyed an even bigger jump of 14.5%. The makers latest products led the way, including the new Corolla, which sold 23,637 units this October compared with 20,949 last year resulting in an increase of 12.8%.

Subaru's Forester posted a 137% increase to buoy the maker's 32% leap in October.

“Consumers showed resiliency in October with steady auto sales despite headwinds caused by the government shutdown,” said Bill Fay, general manager and group vice president.  “The growth in the auto industry continues to play a leading role in the economic recovery, and Toyota is on track for a strong close to the year.”

On the Lexus side of the aisle, the new IS was up 68.7% compared to last year while the LS saw a gain of 26.5%.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. reported total sales of 114,538 units, an increase of 7.1%. Honda division tallied an increase of 5.7% with the CR-V, Civic and Accord all posting double-digit increases. The Japanese maker’s luxury unit, Acura, checked in with a leap of 17.5%. The MDX and RDX both posted new October sales records while the RLX turned in its best month since March.

Nissan Motor Co. set an October record with 91,018 units: up 14.2%. Nissan division also set a record with a jump of 15.4% to 81,866 while Infiniti sales totaled 9,152 for the month, up 4.5%.

The Detroit Three also reported impressive results led by General Motors Co. and its 16% increase over last October. The maker delivered 226,402 vehicles with Chevrolet, Cadillac and Buick-GMC performing well, according to Kurt McNeil, vice president, U.S. sales operations, in a statement.

Buick increased 31%; Cadillac was up 10%; GMC rose 16%; and Chevrolet was up 15%. McNeil noted the sales tempo really picked up after the government shutdown ended, including increases in Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, which posted increases of 10% and 13% respectively.

Chrysler Group with reported an 11% increase in October; it’s best October since 2007. The Ram pickup helped to lead the increase with a jump of 18% while the Dodge Durango, perhaps on the strength of its new spokesperson, Ron Burgundy, rose 59%.

Hyundai recorded a 7% rise in October sales, including a 36% jump by the Santa Fe.

“After a choppy start to the beginning of the month, Chrysler Group sales accelerated in the second half of the month with renewed consumer confidence and the launch of our all-new Jeep Cherokee,” said Reid Bigland, Head of U.S. Sales.

“Following a meticulous focus on quality, our new Jeep Cherokee began shipping to dealers and quickly selling which helped us to achieve our 43rd-consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases.”

Ford reported a 13.9% rise in auto sales in October from 142,487 units to 191,985. Fusion led the increase with a 71% jump, while the Fiesta saw a 9% increase. Both models set new October sales records. The F-Series continued its strong sales pace last month with sales of more than 60,000 units for the sixth consecutive month. The last time that kind of run occurred with 2006.

Lincoln also saw a jump of 38% in October, led by MKZ sales of 2,909 vehicles: an increase of 80% over a year ago, leading the Lincoln brand to an overall increase of 38 percent. MKZ has now reported record sales for six of the last seven months.

Ford said the industry sold 1.26 million vehicles in October, which translates to a high 15 million seasonally adjusted annual sales rate: a 12% increase compared with year ago levels.

The post shutdown excitement for new vehicles certainly spilled over to other automakers, including Hyundai North America. After a few months of flat or lower sales, Hyundai sales jumped 7% in October from a year ago to a record 53,555, according to CEO John Krafcik. The Santa Fe crossover sales jumped 36%. Krafcik said in a tweet that the refreshed 2014 Sonata saw an increase of 18% and the 2014 Equus flagship premium sedan was up 14%.

The redesigned Forester continues to drive Subaru sales – they increased 137% compared to last October – which were up 32% for October from a year ago to 34,483 vehicles. The WRX also posted a jump of 23.3%.

“We have incredibly hardworking retailers who have made these results possible; and we have the right product for consumers,” said Thomas J. Doll, president and chief operating officer, Subaru of America, Inc. “2013 will be another very successful year for Subaru and we look forward to sales of the XV Crosstrek Hybrid – Subaru’s first-ever hybrid vehicle – in December.”

Not every maker posted increases: Korean maker Kia saw sales drop 6.4% and Volkswagen fell 18% in October.

Kia’s sales dropped from 42,452 units to 39,754. The company is in the midst of rolling out several new models, which often spurs sales increases. However, only a few models – Soul, Rio and Sportage – posted modest increases.

(Nissan earnings up, but maker shakes up management. For more, Click Here.)

Volkswagen booked sales of 28,129 units, which was down 18% in October. Jonathan Browning, president and CEO, said the shutdown did impact the maker in the first half of the month. Only the GTI and Beetle posted gains against the year-ago period.

In spite of the drop, Browning noted the company is on track to sell more than 400,000 vehicles in the U.S. for the second consecutive year – a feat accomplished only once before in the makers 40-year history in the U.S.

“Volkswagen should regain its U.S. momentum with the imminent arrival of the highly anticipated new Golf, but it is also obvious that in North America VW is in need of more competitive entrants in the important compact SUV and mid-size SUV segments,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and senior analyst, KBB.com. “A more competitive minivan and larger SUV would be additional bonuses.”

Even the more specialized makers reported improved results this month. Jaguar Land Rover North America said Jaguar sales were 1,515 units, 117% up from 699 units in October 2012; Land Rover sales were 4,286 units, up 37% from 3,129 units in the year-ago period. The combined units were up 52% compared with last year.

Porsche Cars North America reported sales of 3,562 vehicles, an increase of 11%, including a 27% jump in 911 sales in the U.S. Additionally, BMW Group, which includes BMW and MINI in the U.S., reported October sales of 33,274 vehicles, an increase of 2.9% from the 32,339 vehicles sold a year ago. Led by The BMW 3 and newly launched 4 Series, the pair ended the month with an increase of 20.4% compared to October 2012.

TrueCar, Inc., which provides new car pricing information, trends and forecasting, estimated today that the average transaction price (ATP) for light vehicles in the U.S. was $30,798 in October 2013, up $312 (1%) over October 2012; and up $206 (0.7%) from September 2013, the previous high mark for average transaction prices.

(Click Here to read about the rebound in October auto sales.)

Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Toyota and Volkswagen achieved record highs for their average transaction price in October.

“Expect to see incentives to jump in the fourth quarter — competition for market share will be fierce,” said Jesse Toprak, senior analyst for TrueCar. “Average transaction prices continue to hover around record levels thanks to the consumers’ demand for vehicles loaded up with options.”