RENEE MONTAGNE, host: NPR's business news starts with a big shift in auto sales.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, host: And we say auto sales, not car sales, because for years the top selling vehicle in the U.S. hasn't been a car. It's been Ford's F150 pickup truck. But automakers now report that in May, fuel efficient cars made by Toyota and Honda outsold the F150 for the first time in more than 15 years. A top Ford official calls this shift to cars, quote, "breathtaking."</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, host: Need we say soaring gas prices are behind the shift? Overall, auto sales skidded 10 percent last month. It was almost 30 percent at General Motors. GM also announced it's closing four pickup truck and SUV factories. GM's chief executive also suggested he might sell the division that makes the big gas guzzling Hummers.
For years, the top-selling vehicle in the U.S. hasn't been a car; it's been Ford's F-150 pickup. But automakers report that in May, fuel-efficient cars made by Toyota and Honda outsold the F-150 for the first time in more than 15 years. Overall, auto sales skidded 10 percent last month.