G.M. Sales in U.S. Rose 27% in April

G.M. said Tuesday that consumers migrated to cars like the Chevrolet Cruze to cope with higher gas prices.

“Rising fuel prices have led many to re-think their vehicle choice,” said Don Johnson, G.M.’s vice president for United States sales.

The company is the first to report its April sales — Ford, Toyota, Chrysler and other carmakers will report as the day wears on. The overall industry is expected to report slightly higher sales, as the market continues its slow recovery from the recession-era sales levels in recent years. Analysts forecast an annual selling rate above 13 million vehicles for the month.

G.M. has lagged some rivals, like the Ford Motor Company, in producing smaller cars. But the nation’s biggest automaker has accelerated its changeover from trucks to cars since emerging from bankruptcy two years ago.

In April, G.M. said its passenger car sales rose 50 percent from the previous April. The Cruze had its best month ever, and the company also reported record sales for its Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain compact cross-over vehicles.

Sales of pickup trucks, however, showed signs of slowing down after steady increases earlier in the year. G.M. said its full-size pickup sales climbed just 2 percent during April. Sales of the large trucks have surged 26 percent overall since the beginning of the year.

Mr. Johnson said G.M. was sticking with its full-year industry sales projections of 13 million to 13.5 million vehicles. Some of the recovery was being driven by consumers returning to the market to replace older-model vehicles. “Pent-up demand had been building in the industry for the last few years,” he said.

And most of the surge is coming in the small-car segment. During April, compact-car sales accounted for 18 percent of the market, making it the largest single segment.

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