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Ford's market analyst said U.S. auto sales are running at the strongest pace since April as vehicle inventories recover for Toyota and Honda.

October was a relatively good month for the auto industry, which is trying to build momentum in what has been a slow recovery.

Ford Motor Co. is on a roll. Its popular new cars and trucks are grabbing a bigger share of the U.S. market. It's about to erase a big portion of its health care debts. And Ford is adding a significant number of jobs for the first time in years.

While sales were up, overall demand continued to be lower than automakers had expected it to be at this point in the economic recovery.

General Motors Co has secured a $5 billion credit facility, two people briefed on the bank deal said on Wednesday, marking the return of the top U.S. automaker to the capital markets a year after it emerged from a landmark bankruptcy.

General Motors said its U.S. sales in May jumped 32% for the four brands the company kept after its restructuring thanks to continued strong demand for crossover vehicles and cars.

Ford said European sales rose sharply in March, lifting its market share to a 12-year high, and the company said it is pressing for continued government incentives for car buying.

Ford, the only U.S. automaker to avoid bankruptcy court, clawed its way to a $2.7 billion profit in 2009 and expects to stay in the black in 2010. It was the automaker's first annual profit in four years.

The largest carmaker attributed its unexpected profit to government measures around the world designed to boost sales of environmentally friendly cars and other vehicles.