DETROIT General Motors Co. says its July U.S. sales rose 16 percent on big gains in full-size pickup trucks. The companys increase leads all automakers that have reported numbers on Thursday. Nissan, Chrysler and Ford all had 11 percent increases.
GM says it sold just over 234,000 vehicles last month. Sales of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups combined rose 46 percent to almost 99,000. Truck sales continue to grow on rising demand from home builders and other businesses.
GM says passenger car sales were up 24 percent over a year ago. The Chevrolet Impala saw a 38 percent sales increase as new models reached showrooms.
Sales of the Cadillac and Chevrolet brands each rose about 17 percent, while GMC sales rose 14 percent. Buick sales also increased 14 percent.