DETROIT — General Motors says its U.S. sales fell 1.2%t last month as rising truck and SUV sales couldn't offset falling car sales.
Three of GM's four brands reported declines for the month. GMC, which sells only trucks and SUVs, reported a 10% increase.
The company said it sold 272,423 vehicles last month.
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Still, GM predicted a strong finish for the year. The company now expects total U.S. sales to be near the high end of its forecast range of 16 million to 16.5 million.
GM's sales have held up despite a series of safety recalls. The company has recalled 29 million vehicles for numerous problems. "Car buying is an emotional proposition with a dollop of financial considerations," said Roger Lanctot, associate director of the
Global Automotive Practice for Strategy Analytics. "There is no doubt that GM has found an effective way to juice dealer traffic and suck all the promotional and advertising oxygen out of the room Everybody everywhere is talking about GM and Chevy and Cadillac and Buick. I suspect the ad budget was juiced as well along with incentives."
Industry analysts are predicting flat overall sales in August compared with a year ago. But Chrysler and Nissan bucked the trend with double-digit increases.