From an article in New York Times

The auto industry surpassed expectations in June by reporting a 22 percent increase in sales, fueled in part by lower gas prices and a surge of interest in new car models.

While analysts had forecast a softening in demand, the car companies on Tuesday reported strong sales in most vehicle segments without the need to resort to higher discounts.

The biggest winners during the month were Toyota and Honda, which a year ago were affected by inventory shortages after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Toyota said its sales grew 60.3 percent in June over last year, and Honda reported a 48.8 percent increase. Both companies were bolstered by big gains in sales of their bread-and-butter sedans like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

The industry’s seasonally adjusted annual selling rate was 14.1 million vehicles in June. In the first six months of the year, about 7.3 million vehicles have been sold in the United States, which represents a 14.8 percent increase over the first half of 2011.