GM, the country's biggest automaker, said sales were up 26 percent in April from a year ago, at 232,538 vehicles.

Ford, the number-two US automaker, also credited fuel-efficient vehicles for stronger US sales, with its mid-size hybrid Fusion setting a new monthly record.

Ford reported a 16 percent rise in sales, to 189,778 vehicles, losing the top-selling US rank it grabbed in March from GM.

"Solid gains by GM's lineup of fuel-efficient passenger cars and crossovers powered the gains, led by the best sales month for the Chevrolet Cruze and record sales for the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain compact crossovers," GM said in a statement.

GM's retail sales, those to individual customers, rose 25 percent from April 2010, with cars and crossovers up 49 percent and 28 percent, respectively.

In the year to date, retail sales were up 35 percent from the prior year.

GM noted that April sales for the Cruze compact were 180 percent higher than the Chevrolet Cobalt it replaced.

The biggest US automaker said that gasoline prices, averaging almost $4 per gallon (3.8 liters), were prompting consumers to trade in larger vehicles for smaller, more fuel-efficient ones.

"Recently, rising fuel prices have led many to re-think their vehicle choice," Don Johnson, vice president of US sales operations, said in the statement.

"Because of the investments we've made in fuel-efficiency and global product architectures, the company is well-positioned to meet these needs."

Ford said hybrid Fusion sales hit 21,189 units in April, up 12 percent from a year ago.

"Consumer demand for Ford's fuel-efficient vehicles continues to grow," the company said.

"Approaching $4 per gallon seems to be the magic number to shift consumer behavior to more fuel-efficient vehicles -- except in the luxury segment," said analyst Michelle Krebs at Edmunds.com.

Japanese auto giant Toyota reported a mere 1.3 percent rise in US sales in April, to 159,540 vehicles.

Toyota's sterling reputation for quality has been tarnished by massive auto recalls in recent years.

And the company is reeling from the March 11 triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear plant crisis in Japan, that has slashed production.

Toyota said recently that domestic production fell 62.7 percent in March from a year earlier, putting it in danger of falling from the global top spot it claimed from General Motors in 2008.

Toyota passenger car sales fell 5.1 percent, although sales of Camry and Camry Hybrid vehicles rose 5.0 percent, said Toyota Motor Sales, USA.

Shares in GM leaped 2.1 percent to $32.86 in New York afternoon trade, while Ford slipped nearly 1.0 percent to $15.30.

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