While the Big Three suffered sales declines in August, some of the import automakers enjoyed record sales. Honda's luxury division, Acura, announced August sales of 15,743, the second highest monthly total in division history, finishing 239 units short of the record set in March of this year. The August results also mark the 10th straight month of record-breaking sales for Acura, surpassing the previous August record of 14,871 set in 1989. Acura's year-to-date sales rose to 114,190, up 24 percent over the same period last year. Kia announced its best sales month ever with 23,276 vehicles sold in August, marking a 41-percent increase over August 2000. With year-to-date sales of 144,314, the Korean carmaker is 40 percent ahead of last year's record sales pace. Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) reported August sales of 18,248 vehicles, making this the best August on record for the company. On a year-to-date basis, August sales pushed the company's volume to 134,619, up 0.6 percent over last year's record-setting pace (133,800). Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America, Inc. (MMSA) reported August sales of 28,317 units, driving the automaker to its best-ever August with an increase of 2.8 percent over August 2000. The Saab 9-5 had its strongest month ever in the United States since its debut in early 1998 with a sales volume of 2,807 units in August. This represents a 32 percent increase for the Saab 9-5 over July 2001 (2,120) and August 2000 (2,124). Total sales for the month were 4,222 units, up 12.5 percent over August 2000 (3,753 units). Volvo Cars of North America, LLC reported its best August on record in 2001. A continued strong showing by the S60 and the V70 Cross Country drove sales of 13,145 units, capping a summer season of five consecutive months of increased sales compared to the previous year. August 2001 sales represent a 18.6 percent boost to sales in the same month last year.