Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. posted steady sales gains in the United States in June, despite a shorter selling month, while sales at Honda Motor Co. dropped almost 6 percent, according to statistics from Autodata Corp.
Having two fewer selling days than the previous year pushed numbers down for the industry, especially after the recent months of robust growth. But solid consumer demand beat analysts' expectations and gave a boost to the beginning of the busy summer season.
Dealers sold 1.42 million light vehicles in June, 1.2 percent more than the year before, to continue a four-month streak of annual gains. The total translates to 16.98 million units in seasonally adjusted annual sales, the highest since July 2006, the U.S. research company said Tuesday.