June Vehicle Sales Rise 9.9% for Big Three Auto Makers

The Big Three auto makers said Tuesday that their combined sales rose nearly 10% in June as consumers flocked to domestic models to replace their aging cars and light trucks.

General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Corp. kept the auto industry’s spring sales momentum moving in June. According to figures released Tuesday, the Big Three had a combined sales gain for the month of 9.9%, compared to a 0.4% increase for Japanese auto makers.

The figures include cars and trucks that the auto makers import for sale in the United States.

Domestic sales in late June were up 6.7%, with the Big Three reporting a 7.8% increase, compared to a 1.1% improvement for Japanese companies that build cars and trucks in the United States.

At the halfway point in the sales year, the bestseller list shows several changes from a year earlier. Most notable is the fall of the Honda Accord. The best-selling car in the United States as recently as two years ago, the Accord appears poised to fall out of the Top 10 among total vehicles and headed for sixth among passenger cars.

The biggest climber on the list of bestsellers was the Chevrolet Cavalier, an 11-year-old subcompact due for a new model in 1995.