General Motors Co (>> General Motors Company) and Ford Motor Co. (>> Ford Motor Company) reported double-digit sales increases for March and the first three months of 2016, compared with the same period a year earlier, fueled largely by low gasoline prices and greater demand for trucks.

Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealers delivered 24,498 vehicles in March 2016, an increase of 17 percent versus March 2015, GM said in a statement. March 2016 had one extra selling day compared with March 2015.

GM's sales in the first quarter of 2016 were up 18 percent compared with the same period in 2015.

Ford sold 26,447 vehicles in Canada last month, a 24 percent increase compared with March 2015. Demand for trucks fueled a 21 percent rise in Ford's first-quarter sales in Canada, compared with the same period a year earlier.

Fiat Chrysler reported 25,862 vehicles sold in March 2016, up 3 percent compared with the same month in 2015 because of increased demand for Jeeps and minivans. Sales for the first quarter were up 2 percent compared with the first three months of 2015.

“Minivan and Jeep sales gains were the key contributors to our March results,” Dave Buckingham, chief operating officer, FCA Canada, said in a news release.

Honda Motor Co Ltd (>> Honda Motor Co Ltd) reported its best-ever month of March in Canada with sales of 16,355 units, up 11 percent from the same month in 2015. Toyota Motor Corp (>> Toyota Motor Corp) sold 19,097 vehicles in March in Canada, up 13.6 percent compared with 2015. Toyota reported 45,426 units during the first quarter of the year, up 9.9 percent compared with 2015.

In the United States, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler on Friday reported lower U.S. auto sales for March than industry analysts expected, but Ford Motor Co (>> Ford Motor Company) and Nissan Motor Co (>> Nissan Motor Co Ltd) topped those estimates. Analysts polled by Reuters expected an increase in March auto sales of about 7 percent from a year earlier.

Low gasoline prices, relatively low interest rates and stronger employment have helped boost U.S. auto sales for several years.

(Reporting by Allison Lampert; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Dan Grebler)

By Allison Lampert