(July 3, 2011) June vehicle sales figures reveal some interesting facts in light of gas prices that are about a dollar higher per gallon than this time last year and the devastating Japanese earthquake that has hampered production by Japanese automakers, particularly Toyota and Honda.

Two things standout — while full-sized truck sales were up only 8.8 percent in an industry that rose only 7 percent over June 2010, trucks dominated sales; and the earthquake-hampered production from Toyota and Honda has allowed Chevrolet to leapfrog the competition in car sales with the new compact Chevy Cruze the top-selling car in America in June followed closely by the mid-sized Chevy Malibu.

The Ford F-Series held its familiar perch on top with sales of 49,618 reaching annual sales of 264,079. The Chevrolet Silverado was second with sales of 32,579 and yearly sales of 182,785. Perhaps the biggest news in the truck segment came from the Ram (previously known as the Dodge Ram) which gained 34.7 percent month-over-month with sales of 21,362. Ram sales are up 31.8 percent from 2010.

The most stunning figures came in car sales where the Cruze and Malibu rank three and four. Cruze sales of 24,896 have to be particularly exciting for General Motors, which has not realized success with a compact car in decades, annually being outsold by the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, and Ford Focus.

The aging Malibu, set to be replaced early next year by an all-new 2013 model, was a pleasant surprise for Chevrolet with sales of 23,737. That amounts to a 14.6 gain over June 2010. For the first six months of the year, the Malibu has sold 122,783 copies, up 13.4 percent.

So what about the perennial best selling Toyota Camry and Honda Accord?

Both nameplates are struggling to regain a foothold in the car ranks. Camry was the seventh best selling vehicle in June with sales of 21,374, off nearly 25 percent from last June. For the year it is still the best selling car in America with 147,469. The Accord slipped to 18th place in June with sales of 15,712. It has sold 127,105 for the year, good for sixth place behind the Camry, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Altima, Ford Fusion, and Honda Civic.

The top crossover vehicle is no surprise, the Ford Escape with 22,274 sales. The Chevrolet Equinox was next at 17,954 and the Honda CR-V came in third with 15,493.

— Jim Meachen