(Reuters) - General Motors ( GM ) reported a 2.2% fall in third-quarter sales of its new vehicles in the United States on Tuesday, pressured by fewer sales days in the three-month period and lower customer spending due to inflation.

Buyers have been shying away from big-ticket purchases such as luxury vehicles and switching to utilitarian focused models that are more affordable.

Sales of GM's compact affordable Trax SUV rose nearly 57% to 59,299 units from a year earlier.

Overall sales fell to 659,601 units from a year earlier. The Detroit automaker's sales had grown about 21% during the same period last year.

(Reporting by Nathan Gomes in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)