CHICAGO, April 1, 2008 (AFP) - General Motors' US sales in March slipped 13 percent from a year ago as production fell sharply due to a strike at a key supplier, the automaker said Tuesday.

GM said it likely held a steady market share with its deliveries of 282,732 vehicles in March, with all automakers reporting weak sales in response to sluggish economic conditions.

GM said it got a positive response from the launch of new sedans and crossover sport utility vehicles.

'Most importantly, despite the tough economy and soft truck market, we anticipate our total retail vehicle sales share to have remained flat for the month and the first three months of the year,' said Mark LaNeve, vice president at GM North America.

'We are encouraged by our performance in the key passenger car categories, and we anticipate holding our share for full-size pickups and utilities.'

GM said nearly 100,000 'units of production' have been lost due to a strike at American Axle but that its second-quarter production forecast remains unchanged at 1.08 million vehicles.