CHICAGO, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Auto industry in the United States slowed the pace of growth, as January auto sales posted by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Ford dropped, while sales of General Motors (GM) rose slightly.

GM sold 198,548 vehicles in January, up 1.3 percent year on year, mostly driven by fast-growing crossover and truck sales, according to a monthly sales report of the three auto companies released on Thursday.

GM's Buick and Chevrolet brands were the only two to post increases, up 4 percent and 5 percent respectively. Several Chevrolet nameplates posted best-ever January sales, including the Equinox, Traverse and Trax, said the report.

"All of our brands are building momentum in the industry's hottest and most profitable segments," Kurt McNeil, GM's U.S. vice president of sales operations, said in a statement.

Ford sold 161,143 vehicles in January, down 6.6 percent year on year. Among them, fleet sales of 45,956 vehicles are down 12 percent due primarily to a planned change in delivery timing of daily rental sales.

Ford said the F-Series had its best January sales since 2004 last month. The new Lincoln Navigator also had its strongest sales in a decade, riding the redesign that launched in 2017.

FCA sold 132,803 vehicles in January, a 13 percent decrease compared with sales in January 2017 of 152,218.

FCA's Jeep brand continues to be the bright spot for the Italian-American automaker, the only brand to post a gain in January, up 2 percent on a good month for the Cherokee, Wrangler and Compass.

The Dodge brand fell 31 percent in January while Ram fell 16 percent. Enditem