Colorado new vehicle registrations surged 16.4 percent from January through May, outpacing the increase in the U.S. market by 8 percent.

Nearly 58,500 new vehicles were registered statewide from January to May, the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association reported Friday. About 50,200 were registered during the same period last year.

New car and light-truck registrations increased almost 1 percent in May compared to May 2011. That, however, was a decrease from the previous month.

"While registrations in Colorado slowed somewhat (in May), we're still in positive territory and far outpacing the U.S. market," association President Tim Jackson said in a statement. "The continuing good news is that consumers are showing high demand for replacing their old cars and trucks."

The used-vehicle market, which represents vehicles seven years old or newer, increased 3.6 percent from January through May.

The major brands with the highest increase in sales were Chrysler, Jeep and Mercedes, whose combined sales grew about 50 percent.