Toyota, GM see a surge in sales

DETROIT — Toyota reported a 17 percent rise in its U.S. sales in August, while GM sales increased 3.9 percent from a year ago as the companies said buyers looked to more fuel-efficient offerings. But Ford's sales dropped 11.6 percent and sales by Honda and DaimlerChrysler each fell 3.2 percent.

Ford outsold Toyota in August after its U.S. sales trailed the Japanese automaker in July for the first month ever.

Toyota Motor Corp. said gas-conscious consumers made last month its best-ever August selling period in the United States. It sold 240,178 vehicles in August, up from 205,362 in the same month a year ago.

Sales of Toyota and Lexus cars rose 19.9 percent to 144,144 from 120,198, while light-truck sales rose 12.8 percent to 96,034 from 85,164.

"We are grateful to have the fuel-efficient models today's market demands," said Jim Lentz, executive vice president of Toyota's U.S. division. "But it's the strength of our dealer network which is proving increasingly central to our growth."

General Motors Corp. sold 156,723 passenger cars, up 3.9 percent from 150,900 the same month a year ago. And its truck sales rose 4 percent to 206,798 from 198,906. But GM also said it expects about a 12 percent decrease in North American production during the fourth quarter. GM's August sales included Saab models.

"This was one of the stronger retail months of 2006, with our performance led by such launch vehicles as the Pontiac Torrent and G6, Saturn Sky, Chevrolet Cobalt, Impala and Buick Lucerne," said Mark LaNeve, GM's vice president of vehicle sales for North America. "Importantly, we're capitalizing on the sale of fuel-efficient cars and trucks."

GM said that while its car sales were up, it also showed strength in sport utility vehicles and trucks. But part of the reason for GM's sales increase was because its employee pricing for all promotion ended in August 2005 and the company's sales slumped.

Paul Ballew, executive director of global market and industry analysis for GM, said sales of small SUVs were up 18 percent in August, while full-sized SUVs rose 11 percent. Full-sized pickups, GM's largest-selling vehicles, were up 21 percent, he said.

In the all-important full-sized pickup category, Ballew said the industry is headed back toward a more normal sales volume for the rest of the year.

"We feel like things have stabilized a bit," he said in a conference call.

But there is some uncertainty even though gasoline prices have subsided a bit from $3 per gallon levels.