Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. posted strong U.S. sales increases in the first six months of 2016 driven by hot demand for sports utility vehicles and trucks while sales at Toyota Motor Corp. slid, data released by Autodata Corp. showed Friday.

While the light truck market grew 9.2 percent in the first six months, passenger car sales dropped 7.5 percent, according to the U.S. research company. The figures show how low fuel prices and interest rates have made consumers flock toward SUVs and trucks.

Dealers sold 8,644,920 vehicles in the first half of the year, 1.5 percent more than the year before, according to Autodata. This was the largest total since 2001.