General Motors March US sales up 6 percent

General Motors March US sales up 6 percent, with big gain in Chevy pickup trucks

DETROIT (AP) -- General Motors' U.S. sales rose 6 percent in March as Americans continued to gain confidence and buy more cars and trucks.

GM says it sold almost 246,000 vehicles last month, led by the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with an 8.4 percent increase. GM sold nearly 40,000 Silverados as businesses kept replacing their aging trucks. Sales of the Chevy Traverse crossover SUV were up 55 percent to almost 11,000.

Other automakers also reported sales increases for the month. Chrysler was up 5 percent, while Ford rose 6 percent.

Industry analysts expect March U.S. sales to rise 3 to 5 percent for an annual rate of about 15.3 million.