General Motors's US sales rise about eight percent

General Motors Co on Tuesday posted a 7.6 percent sales gain in July on stronger demand for its flagship Chevrolet brand and new cars including the Cruze compact. GM said US sales rose to 214,915 new cars and light trucks, within the range of analysts' expectations and up from 199,692 vehicles last year. The rest of the automakers are scheduled to release their US sales results for July later on Tuesday. Thirty-nine economists polled by Reuters were expecting an annual sales rate in July of 11.8 million vehicles.
That pace would still trail the 13 million-plus rate from earlier this year, but many industry executives said it would mark the beginning of a recovery from a bottom in June, when the rate was 11.45 million. Monthly car sales figures are among the first snapshots of consumer demand each month.