NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Detroit's Big Three automakers all posted improved sales in January, as General Motors and Ford Motor Co. halted recent sales declines, but leading imports brands continued to stay close on their heels with even stronger gains of their own.

GM (Research) sold 293,131 cars and light trucks in the month, a gain of 6 percent from year-earlier sales, as the embattled No. 1 automaker announced cuts in the sticker price of most of its vehicles.

Autos 36 month new 5.91% 48 month new 5.98% 60 month new 6.03% 72 month new 3.78% 36 month used 6.31% Find personalized rates:   Rates provided by Bankrate.com.

"We had solid results in January and showed some very encouraging pockets of strength," said Mark LaNeve, the GM vice president in charge of North American sales. "Dealers reported improving traffic ...as consumers became aware of our aggressive reduction in sticker prices. We also had a very encouraging start for the new Chevy Tahoe."

Ford (Research), the No. 2 U.S. automaker, posted a 2 percent gain in sales to 205,671 vehicles.

Both GM and Ford saw sales fall nearly 5 percent last year as they lost market share to imports and crosstown rival Chrysler Group, the North American unit of DaimlerChrysler.

DaimlerChrysler (Research) reported a 5 percent gain in companywide U.S. sales to 167,934 vehicles, with a 5 percent gain at Chrysler and a 3 percent increase in sales at its luxury Mercedes Benz unit.

But Toyota Motor (Research), No. 4 in terms of U.S. auto sales, posted its own January sales record for sales here with a 14 percent gain to 160,625. And Honda Motor Co. (Research) reported its own January sales record with a 20.7 percent gain in sales to 98,394 vehicles. Imports BMW, Subaru and Audi also reported double-digit percentage gains in January sales that outpaced the rise in sales from the Big Three.

For more news on autos and automakers, click here