Despite an overall 3-percent decrease in car and truck sales from last year’s record figures, strong sales of GM pickups and sport/utility vehicles gave the company a 9-percent increase in truck sales. Though automotive analysts predicted a sharp decline in domestic vehicle sales at the beginning of the year, the industry is still on pace for its third-best sales year ever. GM’s June truck sales figures showed a strong showing in the SUV segment. GM said it is currently on track to set an all-time industry SUV calendar sales record. GM’s total utility sales of 99,027 and medium utility sales of 47,612 are the best single month figures ever. The Cadillac Escalade’s sales of 2,522 units for the month helped GM again lead the industry in full-size utility sales. Additionally, the all-new Chevy Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, and Oldsmobile Bravada gained significant sales increases. GM said it anticipates continuing to perform well in the truck and utility segments as more of its new entries increase in availability, including the Escalade, Buick Rendezvous, and Chevy Avalanche.