Canada March factory sales up 2.1% on autos, petroleum

FILE PHOTO: An oil pump jack pumps oil in a field near Calgary, Alberta, Canada on July 21, 2014. REUTERS/Todd Korol//File Photo

(Reuters) - Canadian factory sales were up by 2.1% in March from February on higher motor vehicle sales, as well as petroleum and coal products, Statistics Canada said on Thursday. Excluding vehicles and parts, manufacturing sales increased by 1.8%. (Reporting by Dale Smith)