NEW YORK—General Motors Corp. said Tuesday its U.S. sales sank 18.5 percent in June led by declining sales of its heavier and less fuel-efficient models, but it held off Toyota to retain the top U.S. sales spot.
The automaker sold 265,937 vehicles last month, compared with 326,300 vehicles sold in June 2007.
Adjusted to reflect three additional selling days in the year-ago period, GM's sales fell a more modest 8.3 percent.
Toyota sold 193,234 vehicles in June, down 21.4 percent from 245,739 in the same month a year earlier. Adjusted sales fell 11.5 percent.
GM's car sales fell 21.1 percent in June. Chevrolet model sales, which make up about half of GM's total U.S. car sales, fell 14.2 percent to 159,998. Buick sales sank 41 percent to 9,631 vehicles.
Light truck sales declined 16 percent.
For the first six months of 2008, sales are down 16.5 percent to 1,604,942 vehicles from 1,922,762 sold in the same time frame last year. Adjusted to reflect for an extra selling day last year, sales are down 16 percent.
GM shares rose 97 cents, or 8.4 percent, to $12.48 in afternoon trading.
