US new car sales soared in the third quarter, despite the combination of a strike at General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, high prices and rising interest rates.

Sales rose by 21% compared with a year ago for GM in the third quarter. There are now more vehicles available for buyers than a year ago, which accounts for part of the reason. There was a shortage of parts, most notably computer chips, back then, which limited supplies of new vehicles.

In spite of the strike, GM reported the largest inventory of new vehicles on dealer lots since 2020, the first year of the pandemic.

Despite the fact that Stellantis sells under Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler brands, it reported a 1% decrease in sales, which is not much worse than the forecasted 1% increase.

Ultimately, Stellantis comes down to affordability, according to Edmunds analyst Ivan Drury. In his opinion, Stellantis’ existing inventory has a greater number of options, which raises prices.

He said he did not believe it was a strike-related issue yet. “It’s because they are asking for a lot of money and not offering enough incentives to entice customers.”

The company won’t report its sales until Wednesday, but Edmunds forecasts that they will be up about 8%.

The non-union electric car maker Tesla does not break out its US sales. Despite falling short of expectations, the company’s third-quarter sales were up 27% from the year-ago quarter, down 7% from the second quarter.

As pent-up demand keeps sales afloat despite economic challenges, Edmunds’ head of insights Jessica Caldwell said, “New-vehicle sales have remained somewhat consistent.”