January marked a surprising uptick for sales of new cars. With the exception of General Motors, all of the leading auto dealers saw an increase in sales, with Chrysler leading the pack at a 44.3 percent rise. Hyundai saw a 14.7 percent increase, while Nissan and Honda experienced rises of 10.5 percent and 8.8 percent, respectively, according to The Detroit News.

The selling pace in January soared to 14.18 million cars and light trucks, only slightly lower than the month of August 2009, when the cash for clunkers program boosted sales. According to the news source, monthly automobile sales since that date have rarely surpassed 13 million.

"The strength that the economy and the auto industry showed in the fourth quarter carried into January, so we believe the year is off to a good start," Don Johnson, vice president of U.S. sales at General Motors, told the news source.

New car dealers aren't the only sector of the economy that is experiencing a positive economic outlook. According to a statement released by the Federal Reserve System, the past few months have been somewhat sunny for the job market and manufacturing firms have benefited from foreign markets over the past couple of years.