FCA Canada reported a total of 27,776 vehicles sold in June, up 2 percent compared with the same month in 2015. Ford said in a news release it sold 28,718 vehicles in June, up 7 percent from the same month a year earlier.

For the first half of 2016, FCA Canada said in a release it sold 152,439 vehicles, a record high for the automaker.

“At the mid-year point, FCA Canada is on pace for another record-setting sales year,” said Dave Buckingham, Chief

Operating Officer, FCA Canada, in a release.

Demand for pickups fuelled a near 12 percent rise in Ford's sales for the first half of 2016, with the automaker reporting the sale of 149,942 vehicles during the six-month period.

According to a June report by Scotiabank, Canadian auto sales are expected to rise to 1.96 million vehicles in 2016, up from 1.9 million units last year.

In May, Canadian auto sales had slipped 1.5 percent on an annual basis, the first monthly decline since December 2015, in part because the month had two fewer selling days.

Honda Motor Co Ltd on Monday reported a 2 percent rise in June Canadian sales, on an annual basis, with 16,905 units sold during the month.

In the United States, which reported results on July 1, the pace of auto sales slowed in June compared to a year ago, as slumping sales of sedans offset strong demand for pickups and sport utility vehicles. The seasonally adjusted annual sales pace for June was 16.66 million, according to Autodata Corp, down from 17 million vehicles a year earlier.

(Reporting by Allison Lampert; Editing by Bernard Orr)

By Allison Lampert