On the same day, Toyota Motor North America reported lower sales in the first three months this year, as economic uncertainty weighs on buyers and the car market braces for impact from war in the Middle East.

GM said that it sold 626,429 vehicles between January and March, although adding that “year-over-year comparisons are significantly skewed by an exceptionally high selling rate in March of 2025.”

This means it was a tough comparison as buyers rushed to make purchases ahead of incoming tariffs by US President Donald Trump at that time.

In the first three months this year, GM’s North America president Duncan Aldred said in a statement that showroom traffic and sales steadily improved after January’s storms.

“March was a much stronger month,” he said.

Notably, there was an improvement in electric vehicle sales, after the segment took a hit from the rollback of incentives under Trump.

Industry expert Cox Automotive projected a 9.6% drop in GM’s first quarter sales, and a 6.5% decline for the industry as a whole.

Meanwhile, Toyota Motor North America reported sales of 569,420 vehicles for the first quarter. This was down 0.1% from a year ago.

But Hyundai reported better numbers, boosted by SUVs and hybrids.

“While higher gas prices can spur interest in electrified vehicles, they typically need to be sustained or more pronounced to drive a meaningful shift,” said Jessica Caldwell, head of insights at Edmunds.

“Right now, many consumers appear to view the latest spike as temporary,” she said.