UPDATE 2-Asbury Automotive profit jumps; shares rise

* Total sales up 13 percent on higher auto sales

* Retail new car sales up 14 percent, industry up 10 pct

* Ex-items earnings 42 cents; Wall St view 30 cents

* Asbury shares up 5.3 percent (Adds comments from CEO, details on results, stock activity)

DETROIT July 27 (Reuters) - Asbury Automotive Group Inc (ABG.N) posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Tuesday as sales continued a slow recovery from a weak 2009, and the dealership group's shares rose more than 5 percent.

Asbury said the pace of the U.S. economic recovery remained uncertain, but its financial position was improving. The company had been restructuring during the U.S. auto sales downturn.

Second-quarter net income rose to $12.8 million, or 39 cents per share, from $5.5 million, or 17 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue rose 13 percent to $1.1 billion.

Earnings from continuing operations for the Georgia-based company rose to 42 cents a share from 20 cents.

On that basis, analysts on average expected profit of 30 cents per share, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Chief Executive Officer Charles Oglesby told Reuters that Asbury was interested in acquiring Ford and Chevrolet dealerships areas it now serves. The company is focused now on the U.S. East Coast, the Midwest and Southwest.

Ford Motor Co (F.N) posted a $2.6 billion second-quarter profit last week, and its U.S. market share rose about 1.5 percentage points to about 17 percent in the first half of 2010.

General Motors [GM.UL] trimmed several money-losing brands in its government-supported restructuring and has redoubled its focus on the mass-market Chevrolet line. U.S. sales of the mid-size Equinox SUV have been very strong for GM as have sales of other vehicles.

Retail sales of new vehicles rose 14 percent, compared with an increase of about 10 percent for the U.S. industry overall in the second quarter.

Asbury shares were up 67 cents, or 5.3 percent, at $13.42 in morning New York Stock Exchange trading. (Reporting by Bernie Woodall; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)