HERNDON, Va. -

The last time Volkswagen of America had this good of a first quarter, Richard Nixon was president and "The Godfather" was being given the Academy Award for Best Picture.

The company’s 94,373 new-vehicle sales in the first three months of 2012 marked its strongest first-quarter since 1973, and VW capped the quarter with both its best February and March in 39 years, as well.

But Volkswagen – whose sales last month climbed 34.6percent to 36,588 units — wasn’t the only automaker whose March was historic.

Audi of America hit a record March (11,585 sales), while Nissan North America had its best-ever month for new-vehicle sales (March or otherwise) as it moved 136,317 vehicles. This included a best-ever month for the Nissan brand (126,132 sales).

Likewise, the flagship division at Mercedes-Benz USA notched a record March and best-ever first quarter for sales, posting 23,134 sales for the month and 61,513 sales for the quarter.

BMW Group (including the BMW and Mini brands) had its best first quarter ever in the U.S. with 75,729 sales.

Kia Motors America (selling 57,505 units) and Hyundai Motor America (selling 69,728 units) enjoyed their strongest months of all time, respectively. Hyundai also said it posted a best-ever first quarter with 163,573 sales.

“Improving vehicle availability, particularly among our most fuel-efficient vehicles, Sonata, Elantra, Accent and Veloster, has fueled this record growth,” said Dave Zuchowski, Hyundai Motor America’s executive vice president of national sales.

On the domestic side, Chrysler had its strongest monthly sales in four years and most robust first quarter since 2008, which was the year before it and General Motors filed for bankruptcy.

For March, in particular, Chrysler sold 163,381 vehicles in the U.S. for a 34-percent year-over-year hike.

“The combination of credit availability, an improving economy, pent-up demand and even high fuel prices encouraging people to acquire newer more fuel-efficient vehicles are all helping to drive industry sales,” stated Reid Bigland, president and chief executive officer of the Dodge Brand and the head of U.S. sales. “Thanks to these factors we experienced sales strength across the board with our March sales up 34 percent and our first quarter sales up a
whopping 39 percent.”

Staying within the Big 3, Ford sold 223,418 vehicles in the U.S. last month, making this the best March it has had since 2007.

Similarly, Toyota Motor Sales, USA had its best March sales in four years, moving 203,282 units. The Toyota division, in particular, had an especially memorable month, selling 183,142 units .

“Toyota dealers had their best-selling month outside of Cash for Clunkers since the pre-recession days of August 2008. Camry and Prius also continue to shine as both set records, including Camry’s best March ever and an all-time high for Prius sales," said Jeff Bracken, vice president of Toyota Division sales.

“With strong first quarter results and key economic indicators remaining upbeat, we see this momentum carrying into the months ahead,” he added.

Among other major automaker reporting U.S. sales results, GM moved 231,052 units in March for a 12-percent hike. American Honda Motor Co. moved 126,999 units last month, which was off 8.4 percent year-over-year.