U.S. new-vehicle sales rose last month, a sign the industry may have benefited from pent up demand after winter storms earlier this year kept some consumers away from showrooms.“March sales turned noticeably higher mid-month and finished strong, said John Felice, a marketing and sales executive at Ford, reported Wall Street Journal.Ford’s car and light-truck sales increased 3.3% on broad growth across its namesake and luxury Lincoln divisions as well as all vehicle categories.Toyota’s sales grew 4.9%. Japan’s top-selling auto maker last week indicated that traffic at dealerships picked up nationwide in March, citing strong demand for its pickups and sport-utility vehicles, as well as for the Camry sedan.The auto industry’s top manufacturers are mostly expected to report higher sales in March from year-ago levels, a reversal from the first two months of the year when poor winter weather led to choppy sales.