Stock index futures pointed to a higher open Tuesday as Wall Street looks to keep March going on a positive note.
The month has started well for the market. Monday's gains put the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq in positive territory for the year for the first time since late January. The Dow is still down for the year, but by less than 25 points.
Increasing confidence that the European Union was progression on a solution to Greece's debt problems helped reinforce the positive momentum.
In Tuesday's auto sales numbers, analysts will be watching both for the spillover effects of Toyota's recall problems and how bad weather in the Northeast may have affected sales.
GM leads off the sales figures parade at 9:45 am New York time, rather than the usual 1:45 pm. Also, Toyota's North American President Yoshimi Inaba will testify before the Senate Commerce Committee to update lawmakers on the company's recall fixes and its operational changes to prevent such problems from recurring.
In other auto news, GM is recalling 1.3 million compact cars in the U.S. and Canada. The company is repairing power steering motors that may fail and make steering more difficult.
In earnings, Staples reported a profit that missed Wall Street expectations even though revenue was better than expected. Shares tumbled 7.4 percent in premarket trading.
There also will be the latest quarterly numbers from AutoZone, Domino's Pizza, and Staples.
Looking to the economy, Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank President Thomas Hoenig will appear on CNBC's "Squawk On The Street," while Minneapolis Fed President Narayana Kocherlakota will speak to business executives in Minneapolis at 1 pm.