Auto manufacturers nearly across the board reported strong April sales gains in the United States, powered by the continued rise in sales of pickup trucks and crossover sport utility vehicles.

The industry sold 1.45 million vehicles last month, up 4.6 percent from a year ago, according to Autodata. The seasonally adjusted annual rate rose to 16.5 million, up 450,000 from April 2014.

General Motors, the nation’s biggest automaker, posted a 6 percent increase last month compared with the previous year. It was its best month for crossover vehicle sales, which were up 25 percent companywide.

Ford also had its best month for S.U.V. sales. The shift by Americans away from cars has been striking. April was the 20th consecutive month that trucks and S.U.V.s outsold cars in the United States, according to Jessica Caldwell, senior analyst at Edmunds.com.