DETROIT (AP) _ As gas prices rise, so do the sales of small cars.
And American automakers are selling a lot of them, as some buyers worry about shortages of Japanese-made vehicles.
General Motors sold more than 25,000 Chevrolet Cruze compact models in April, the best performance for the 36-mile-per-gallon car since it was introduced in October.
Ford said sales of its new Focus compact rose 22 percent from last year.
Overall, Ford says its U.S. sales rose 13 percent in April on strong sales of its cars.
General Motors’ U.S. sales of cars and truck jumped 26 percent in April as the economy continued to improve and $4 a gallon gasoline pushed buyers into more efficient vehicles.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)