TORONTO, ON — Chrysler Canada claimed the top spot as the best selling automaker in the country for the second consecutive month at the top of the heap.

The company says sales increased nine per cent compared with a year ago and hit their best level for a February since 2002.

“These sales results are a testament to the 16 all-new or significantly refreshed products we introduced over the last year, which focused on improved exteriors, new interiors, and dramatically better fuel efficiency,” Chrysler Canada chief operating officer Dave Buckingham said in a statement.

The increase was helped by a more than doubling of passenger car sales at the automaker. Jeep Wrangler sales also more than doubled compared with a year ago.

Chrysler Canada, which has assembly plants in Windsor and Brampton, Ont., northwest of Toronto, as well as parts operations, said it sold 16,536 cars and trucks sold in February, up from 15,238 in the same month last year.

Meanwhile, GM said it sold 14,258 vehicles in February, up 16 per cent over February 2011, as sales of fuel-efficient crossovers increased significantly compared with a year ago.

Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain sales were up 41.5 per cent.

“For 2012, our dealers have the best and most complete product line up in recent memory, spanning all segments, from the entry level Sonic to the new Canadian-built Cadillac XTS,” said Marc Comeau, vice-president of sales, service and marketing at GM of Canada.

GM’s passenger car sales rose 5.8 per cent in February, helped by strong sales of the Buick Regal, Chevrolet Camaro and Buick LaCrosse, while Chevrolet and GMC pickup trucks sales saw Silverado, and Sierra sales gain seven per cent.

In the U.S., many automakers reported strong sales for February as Americans snapped up smaller cars to offset high gas prices.

Chrysler’s February sales rose 40 per cent from a year earlier as it sold nearly 134,000 new cars and trucks. All of its brands showed at least double-digit increases. Chrysler was helped by an easy comparison with last February, when sales were relatively low because many of its revamped models were just arriving in showrooms.

Ford sales rose 14 per cent, mostly on demand for the Focus compact car. Focus sales more than doubled to 23,350, making it the best February for the Focus in 12 years.

At GM, sales of the Chevrolet Cruze compact rose 10 per cent to top 20,000 for the month, while the new Chevy Sonic subcompact saw its best sales month ever at almost 8,000. The strength of those sales helped General Motors, which was expected to see sales drop, report a 1 per cent increase.