U.S. auto sales growth slowed slightly in July despite hefty discounts, with most manufacturers on Friday reporting gains below expectations, according to Reuters. Among the major automakers, only Ford Motor Co and Toyota Motor Corp beat analysts' estimates. Ford's sales were up 10 percent at 212,236, with Toyota's up 12 percent at 215,802. Toyota was the No. 2 seller in July, edging past Ford, which had held that spot for the first half of this year and for 2013 overall. General Motors Co remained in top place. With all of the major carmakers reporting by midday, industry sales were up 9 percent from the previous July, to 1,433,016. Analysts surveyed by Reuters had expected an 11 percent increase. Results were mixed. Honda Motor Co said July sales tumbled 8 percent to 135,908. It was the only one of the top car companies to cut incentives from June to July, with per-vehicle discounts averaging $1,754, according to research firm J.D. Power. Average industry discounts last month rose slightly to just over $3,000 per vehicle, with Ford incentives averaging close to $3,919. Industry incentives were the highest since 2010, said Larry Dominique, president of research firm ALG. GM, Nissan Motor Co, Chrysler Group LLC and the Hyundai-Kia Group all reported higher July sales that nonetheless failed to meet analysts' expectations. -- SPA 21:10 LOCAL TIME 18:10 GMT تغريد
