Sales decline for April at GM, Ford, Chrysler

Sales at Ford and General Motors fell in April as record U.S. gasoline prices drove consumers to Toyota's fuel-efficient cars and away from big trucks and sport-utility vehicles.

Ford's 12 percent decline was led by the F-Series pickup, while falling demand for the Chevrolet Silverado led to a 16 percent reduction at GM. Japan's Toyota reported gains on increased demand for small cars such as the Yaris and Prius. Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. also rose.

All sales figures are compared with April last year.

Chrysler's sales dropped 23 percent to 141,751 vehicles, primarily because of slowing trucks and SUV sales. Chrysler, now owned by Cerberus Capital Management, depends on truck sales for about 75 percent of its monthly total.

Gasoline costs and a slowing U.S.


Read More