GM Sales Rise 4%

DETROIT (TheStreet) -- General Motors said sales rose 4% in October, its first year-over-year sales gain since January 2008.

The automaker sold 177,603 vehicles in October, up 13% from September. Retail sales were up 15% year over year. GM gained market share for the third consecutive month, reporting a 21% share of the light-vehicle market in October.

Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac, the four core brands that GM will retain, accounted for 95% of sales, up 10% from a year earlier. Core brand sales totaled 162,414. At Chevrolet, total sales rose 9% while retail sales rose 31%, and Malibu retail sales rose 84%. At Buick, sales rose 19% to 9.053.

-- Written by Ted Reed in Charlotte, N.C. .