US car sales mixed in May

General Motors reported a decline in sales for May, down one per cent to 237,364 units. Sales of the GMC Sierra ute fell 8.2 per cent to 16,200 and sales of the GMC Canyon were down 26.3 per cent to 2,477 units. US sales also dropped one per cent for Fiat Chrysler, down to 193,040 units, with Jeep sales down 15 per cent. Ford, however, reported an increase in sales, up 2.3 per cent to 240,050 units, with its F-Series ute up 12.8 per cent. Sales were mixed for the Japanese car makers. Toyota saw a 0.5 per cent drop to 218,248 units, driven by a 17.3 per cent decrease in Toyota and Lexus-branded cars. But Nissan reported a three per cent sales increase in may to 137,471 units, which the car maker attributed to rising demand for crossovers and SUVs. Sales for Honda grew 0.9 per cent to 148,414 vehicles. Sales have typically been strong for SUVs on the back of low oil prices and growing economic optimism. In April, however, the segment fell for the first time in 11 months, and remained soft in May. The Wall Street Journal reports that seasonally-adjusted annual sales in the US ending May 2017 is expected to fall to approximately 16.5 million, well down on the 17.3 million sales in the year ending May 2016.