General Motors Corp and Toyota Motor Corp the biggest players in the US auto market, predicted Tuesday that sales would fall this year to their lowest levels in more than a decade after already-weak demand tumbled further in June.
Sales of cars and light trucks slid 18.3 percent last month because of record-high gas prices, sinking consumer confidence and insufficient supplies of the most popular small and fuel-efficient models.
The selling pace in June translated to 13.6 million cars and trucks on an annual basis, the weakest level in 15 years.
"This past month's auto sales clearly reflect a very difficult situation for our customers, and we think it's going to persist for many, many months to come, possibly longer," said Jim Farley, group vice president of sales at Ford Motor Co.