General Motors said on Wednesday the US light vehicle sales rate was around 13.5m to 13.6m in January, an increase of around 8% year on year as the industry continued to recover.

Early returns showed GM sales fell 6% in January from a month ago while other companies reported gains, Dow Jones reported. Ford sales were up 7.3%, Nissan Motor’s 10.4% and Chrysler’s 44% year on year.

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GM sales chief Don Johnson told Dow Jones 2012 started in line with industry expectations US sales would continue the climb from last year, when 12.8m cars and trucks were sold.

He added GM’s sales were down largely because the company reduced discounts as a strategy to bolster sales. Sales of GM’s large pickups and its Cadillac luxury brand were down as well, the report added.

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