DETROIT - Ford Motor Co.'s June sales outpaced the industry's gains on strong sales of small cars and a slight rebound in pickup sales.

Despite falling gasoline prices, the supply of the Fiesta subcompact and the Focus compact remains tight because of "exceptional demand," said Ken Czubay, Ford's vice president of U.S. marketing, sales and service.

Ford's new Fiesta subcompact and redesigned 2012 Focus compact combined for 26,920 in June sales, up 66 percent from the year-earlier period, reported Automotive News.

George Pipas, Ford's top sales analyst, said both cars ended the month at about a 30-day supply.

Ford enters the second half of 2011 with "cautious optimism," Czubay said.

"We have a lot of momentum on showroom floors," he said. "But we're watching closely the U.S. economy. The economic data is mixed. Our data suggests that many owners are delaying purchases until the Ford model they want becomes available."

In June, Ford Motor sold 193,415 units, up 10 percent from the year-earlier period, but the results trailed the advances at Chrysler and GM.

The industry finished the month up 7 percent.

For the first six months, Ford Motor sold 1.1 million vehicles, up 9 percent. The industry finished the first half up 13 percent.

In June, Ford sold 49,618 F-series pickups, a 7 percent improvement over the year-earlier period.

"That 49,000 -- almost 50,000 -- is one of our highest sales months for the F series in the past three years," Pipas said.

The pickup truck segment made up 9 percent of U.S. retail sales in April and 10 percent in May, Pipas said. It's now just above 11 percent, he said.

Ford has about a 79-day supply of pickups, Pipas said.

Said Czubay: "The dealers would just as soon keep it at that level."

"It's good for their business," he said, "as long as we can keep a steady flow, which you've got to do to keep selling 50,000 pickups a month, and we're right on line to keep doing that."

Demand spiked for F-series pickups fitted with the direct-injection turbocharged V-6 EcoBoost engine.

"In May and June, the V-6 outsold the V-8s," Czubay said of pickup sales. "It's the first time since the mid-'80s that that happened."

Among F-series pickup sales, 44 percent were powered by V-8s, 41 percent had Ford's 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6s and 15 percent had 3.7-liter V-6s.

Czubay said sales of the redesigned 2011 Explorer crossover have been a "first half surprise to us."

Through June, Ford's sold 65,823 Explorers, more than double sales in the year-earlier period. In all of 2010, Ford sold 60,687 Explorers.

Czubay said more than 40 percent of the Explorers sold in the first half have been higher-trim models.

Ford has 426,000 vehicles at dealerships or in transit, Pipas said. Of those, 317,000 are trucks and 109,000 are cars and crossovers. The total gives Ford a 57-day supply. Ford ended May with a 52-day supply.