GM Lags Rivals in U.S. Sales for February

General Motors Corp. said its U.S. sales fell 7.1% in February, as small-car sales were pummeled, tempering improvements elsewhere in the industry. Ford Motor Co. posted a sales increase of 0.6%, following Chrysler Corp.’s report on Tuesday of a 3.1% gain, in reports that exceeded expectations. February’s industrywide annual sales rate fell to 15 million units from 15.1 million a year earlier, beating expectations of a 2% drop. At GM, sales of vehicles built in North America fell to 324,689 from the year earlier, more than the 3% decline analysts had expected. Car sales fell 14%, but truck sales gained 2.2%. Ford’s sales rose to 291,572 from 289,777 a year earlier, compared with estimates of a 2% drop. Car sales rose 3.6% and truck sales fell 1.7%.