U.S. automaker giant General Motors Corp. sold more cars outside the United States than at home for the second year in a row in 2006, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

The Detroit auto giant is expected late Friday to report global sales fell slightly last year, with most of the 80,000-vehicle sales decline coming from its core U.S. market. It is also expected to say that 55 percent of its 9.1 million-plus sales occurred abroad, said the report.

GM's growing reliance on overseas markets comes as it implements aggressive cost cuts that are designed to increase the profitability of its global product portfolio, according to the report.

GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner heralded GM's move from reliance on the U.S. as a development that could help the company maintain its No. 1 spot in global auto production.

Toyota Motor Corp. is closing in on GM for the top spot and should surpass it in 2007, according to Toyota projections.

Source: Xinhua