DETROIT -- The Detroit automakers' share of the U.S. market dropped below 50 percent in July for the first time in history, according to an analyst who tracks industry numbers.

Jesse Toprak, senior analyst for the Edmunds.com automotive Web site, said that with 95 percent of the manufacturers reporting data, the market share controlled by Chrysler Group, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. dropped to 49.7 percent for the month.

The automakers who have yet to report data are small and would not push the three back over 50 percent, Toprak said Wednesday.

The Detroit automakers' share was as high as 77.4 percent in 1984, according to Autodata Corp., which has tracked auto sales since 1980.