GM, Toyota Report Sales Increases As Overall Industry Slips

U.S. vehicle sales declined last month despite a strong performance by the country's top automaker.

Data compiled by The Wall Street Journal from motorintelligence.com showed that even though August 2017 included one additional selling day compared to August 2016, overall sales slipped by nearly 2 percent.

But General Motors, which accounts for the largest share of the domestic market, touted strong crossover sales en route to a 7.5 percent increase last month. Double-digit increases in GM's Chevrolet and GMC brands were more than enough to cancel out steep declines in the Buick and Cadillac lines.

Toyota, the top foreign automaker in the U.S., also reported a robust month with a 6.8 percent increase in sales, but sales fell for the other top companies in the market.

Ford and Honda reported modest declines of more than 2 percent, while Fiat Chrysler and Nissan reported slides of 11 percent and 13 percent, respectively.

Those six companies comprised more than 75 percent of the domestic auto market last month, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Although sales were expected to fall behind 2016's record-setting pace, the Associated Press reported that Hurricane Harvey likely hurt demand for new vehicles as well last month. A surge of owners seeking to replace their flooded cars, however, could bolster sales in coming weeks, the report added.