AUTOS

GM Reports Mid-July Surge: Sales were up 8.4%, leaving the domestic auto industry with an overall improvement of 13.2% in the period. GM did not report its sales with other domestic car and truck makers July 23 because of its two-week vacation shutdown. GM said its car sales in the July 11-20 period were up 9.9% and its light-truck sales rose 5.7%. Overall in mid-July, the Big Three U.S. auto makers’ sales were up 12.8% while sales by Japanese auto makers with factories in the United States were up 15.8%. Domestic production by the Japanese companies accounts for about 15% of the total U.S. market.