DETROIT — U.S. consumers returned to showrooms in full force in March as one of the coldest winters on record for most of the country began to subside, giving automakers confidence that sales are back on track.

Sales of new cars and trucks increased 5.7 percent in March from a year earlier. The annual selling rate was 16.4 million, the strongest pace since last November, and up substantially from 15.2 million in January and 15.3 million in February.

Chrysler posted a 13 percent gain, largely due to its new Jeep Cherokee and Ram 1500 pickup. Ford’s sales edged up 3.3 percent while GM’s sales rose 4 percent.