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Detroit, MI

GM sales climb 16% in July; Ford, Chrysler up 11%

Chris Woodyard and Jayne O'Donnell
USA TODAY
A buyer moves between rows of 2013 Ram pickup trucks and Dart sedans at a Dodge dealership in Littleton, Colo.
  • Ford and Chrysler says they both set records
  • Yet GM showed the strongest sales gains
  • Pickup sales remain strong

Detroit's Big 3 automakers saw a strong sales performance in July.

General Motors, the largest of the three, saw a 16% sales gain. Ford and Chrysler are both reporting 11% sales gains for July, making it one of the best performing months in years.

Here's are the details for each:

General Motors

General Motors' 16% gain was even stronger when sales to individual customers are taken into account. They were up 23%.Each of GM's four brands posted double-digit increases in sales to individual customers, the sales that matter the most.

ASIAN BRANDS:Toyota and Honda sales up double digits, Nissan sets July sales record

EUROPEAN BRANDS:Volkswagen sales sink while BMW's rise

Pickup sales were especially strong, up 51%, and crossovers were up 18%.

But car sale did almost as well, up 42% increase in small and compact cars. The stars were the smallest cars in the lineup, the Chevrolet Spark, up 32, and the Cruze, which set a sales record.

Chevrolet's new Impala, which Consumer Reports magazine just lauded as the best sedan in the U.S., saw a 38% increase over last year.

"For GM, July was the most well-balanced month of the year from a retail sales standpoint: trucks were hot, but so were small cars and family vehicles," said Kurt McNeil, vice president, U.S. sales operations. "Our experience shows that the difference between good sales and great sales in a slow-growth economy is how many new products you have to offer, and we are starting to hit our sweet spot."

Even though sales were at the high end of its predictions, inventory levels are satisfactory.

Ford Motor

Ford says its July sales gain 11%, compared with the same period a year ago, makes it the best July sales since 2006. Even better, sales to individual customers increased 19%, the best performance since 2005. Those are the most profitable sales to an automaker, as opposed to fleet sales to rental fleets and corporations.

All the sales gains, however, came in the Ford brand. Lincoln saw sales fall slightly, down 0.8%, including for its heavily hyped MKZ sedan. Still, Ford officials were pleased overall.

"We saw continued strength and growth in our retail business, particularly in the coastal regions of the country," said Ken Czubay, Ford vice president, U.S. marketing, sales and service. "Our small cars and hybrids continue to attract new customers to Ford and away from our competitors."

It warned that it continues to have shortages of some models, especially the Fusion sedan and Escape SUV.

Some of the biggest growth came in small cars, including Fiesta, Focus and the new C-Max hybrid. They were up 32%. with a combined 27,131 sales, making it Ford's best July for small car performance since 2000.

But both SUVs and pickups also scored. In particular, the Escape crossover was up 4%, Explorer climbed 13% and Edge increased 15%. The best sellers continue to be Ford's pickups. The F Series was up 23%, the 24th straight month of increases.

Chrysler Group

Chrysler Group sold 140,102 vehicles in July, an 11% jump over the same month last year, the company said Thursday. The gain was Chrysler's best July in seven years.

Chrysler's Jeep, Dodge, Ram Truck and FIAT brands each posted year-over-year sales gains in July compared with the same month a year ago. The Ram Truck brand's 31% jump was the largest sales gain of any of the company's brands in July.

Reid Bigland, Chrysler's U.S. sales chief, noted that the all-new Fiat 500L was also "off to a great start" with 962 units sold in its first full month on sale.

Highlights:

• Dodge brand sales were up 18% in July, driven in large part by an 88% increase in Dodge Durango full-size SUV sales.

•Jeep brand sales were up 2% as all Jeep brand models in production recorded year-over-year sales gains for the month.

•Fiat brand sales were up 2% in July compared with the same month a year ago.

•The Dodge Avenger, Challenger and Dart along with the, Jeep Wrangler and Compass each recorded their best July sales ever.

•Sales of the flagship Jeep Grand Cherokee were up 30%, its best July sales since 2005.

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