3 major US auto makers report soaring sales

All three major American automakers -- Ford Motor Co., Chrysler Group and General Motors Corporation -- reported strong sales gains last month in comparison with the same period a year ago, according to statistics released Tuesday. Ford said its sales went up by 13.4 percent in June. The Dearborn automaker's small cars, which include the Fiesta subcompact, Focus and C-Max compact cars, surged 39 percent. Ford' s Escape compact SUV posted its best monthly sales total ever to hit 28,694 units. Chrysler sold 156,686 vehicles in June, a rise of 8.2 percent and the best June sales result since 2007. Chrysler 's Fiat, Jeep and Chrysler brands all posted sales gains. GM sales rose 6.5 percent to 264,843. Cadillac sales went up 14. 9 percent while the Chevrolet brand had a 7.4 percent sales gain.