Canada July auto sales mixed, imports make gains

TORONTO, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Canadian auto sales were mixed despite an increased demand for smaller vehicles, while imports continued to grab a bigger piece of the domestic market, company figures released on Wednesday showed.

General Motors of Canada GM.N said its July vehicle sales dropped 2 percent to 32,205 from the same month a year earlier. A 3.4 percent rise in car sales was more than offset by a 6.9 percent drop in truck sales.

"Canadians are buying more GM small vehicles than in the past, in spite of a recent softening of fuel prices," Marc Comeau, the company's vice-president of sales, said in a statement.

Ford Motor Co. of Canada (F.N) sales skidded by 7.6 percent in July to 21,097 vehicles from 22,832 last year. Car sales fell 24.4 percent to 5,665 while truck sales rose 0.6 percent to 15,432.

DaimlerChrysler Canada DCXGn.DE bucked the trend of its fellow North American automakers as its monthly vehicle sales rose 2.6 percent to 19,122, which marked its 12th straight month of gains.

Overall auto sales in Canada rose 0.6 percent to 142,448 units last month compared with July 2006.

Canadian sales at Big Three North American automakers -- GM, DaimlerChrysler and Ford -- fell 2.6 percent while July sales of import nameplates rose 4 percent.

Toyota Canada Inc. (7203.T) said it set a new sales record for July at its Toyota and luxury Lexus divisions.

The automaker said July vehicle sales rose 2.5 percent to 18,582 vehicles from a year earlier. Toyota sales rose 2.5 percent to 17,542, while sales at its Lexus division rose 1.3 percent to 1,040.

Honda Canada Inc. (7267.T) reported an 8 percent drop in July sales to 13,702 units.