Sales were down 0.3 percent at 1.15 million vehicles, better than the expected decline of between 0.5 percent to 5 percent forecast by analysts polled by Reuters before Tuesday.

January U.S. sales were 17.58 million on a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, according to Autodata Corp.

The same trends that boosted sales in 2015 helped blunt the challenges of two fewer selling days and a massive East Coast snowstorm.

Ford Motor Co's (>> Ford Motor Company) U.S. sales chief, Mark LaNeve, said the last five days of January were strong, helping overcome the snowstorm's effects. But he said the storm had pressured Ford's sales, which fell 2.6 percent.

General Motors Co (>> General Motors Company), the top-seller in the U.S. market, said its sales were up 0.5 percent, while it increased its share of the retail market, which does not include fleet sales to rental agencies.

Toyota Motor Corp (>> Toyota Motor Corp), No. 3 in the U.S. market, showed sales down 4.7 percent.

Results of all of the 10 top-selling automakers in the U.S. market except for Volkswagen AG (>> Volkswagen AG) topped expectations of forecasters.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles  (>> Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV) showed sales up 7 percent. Honda Motor Co (>> Honda Motor Co Ltd) sales fell 1.7 percent, and Nissan Motor Co (>> Nissan Motor Co Ltd) reported sales up 1.6 percent. Hyundai Motor Co  (>> Hyundai Motor Co) sales rose 1 percent.

The month shows a strong start of what is expected to be a second straight record year.

Still, auto company shares remain pressured as many Wall Street investors say the cyclical industry will soon plateau, ahead of a decline in several years.

Ford reported sales of its F-series pickup trucks were down 5 percent, and its shares fell nearly 5 percent. Fiat Chrysler shares traded in New York were down 4.1 percent on Tuesday afternoon and GM shares were down 2.5 percent. The wider S&P Index was down 2 percent.

U.S. sales hit a record 17.39 million in 2015, according to WardsAuto.

Sales of GM's Chevy Silverado and Fiat Chrysler's Ram both rose 5 percent. Each truck is its manufacturer's best-selling model for the U.S. market.

Volkswagen AG (>> Volkswagen AG) VW brand sales fell 14.6 percent as it continues to be affected by its diesel emissions scandal. Volkswagen AG sales including the VW, Audi and Porsche brands showed sales down 7 percent.

(Reporting by Bernie Woodall; editing by Tom Brown and Chizu Nomiyama)

By Bernie Woodall