Retail Sales Propel General Motors to 49 Percent Gain in February

DETROIT, March 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

• Year-over-year retail sales gain of 70 percent highest on record
• Car, Truck and Crossover segment retail sales each rise 59 percent or more
• GM’s newest vehicles continue to gain customers – retail sales up 119 percent
• Retail sales improve 52 percent for the first two months

General Motors total sales in the United States rose 49 percent in February, as dealers reported 207,028 deliveries for the company’s four brands. For the second month in a row, the gain in total sales was driven by soaring retail demand for the company’s products. During the month, retail sales rose 70 percent – the highest year-over-year gain in the company’s history.

For the first two months of the year, GM’s total sales have risen 36 percent, while the company’s retail sales – those to individual consumers – have increased by 52 percent.

Retail sales of GM’s cars, trucks and crossovers all rose at least 59 percent or more during the month, up 76 percent, 74 percent and 59 percent, respectively.

“Our plan was to get off to a quick start this year, and we did just that,” said Don Johnson, vice president, U.S. Sales Operations.  “Having the right vehicles in inventory, combined with aggressive advertising and targeted consumer marketing has been the key to our success in the first two months this year.”

Newest Vehicles Lead Gains, More Than Doubling During February

Combined sales for GM’s newest vehicles – Chevrolet Equinox, Silverado HD, Cruze and Volt; Buick LaCrosse and Regal; GMC Sierra HD and Terrain; and Cadillac SRX, CTS Wagon and CTS Coupe – increased 66 percent, while retail sales surged 119 percent for the month, compared to February 2010.

Passenger Cars

Total sales of GM passenger cars improved 40 percent during February, led by the sale of 18,556 Chevrolet Cruzes. Retail sales of GM passenger cars rose 76 percent for the month, with Cruze retail sales 212 percent higher than the compact car it replaced. Strong retail sales of the all-new Cadillac CTS Coupe helped propel CTS retail sales to a record high for the month of February, up 159 percent versus a year ago. The Buick Regal had its best month since launch, recording 3,541 retail sales.

Crossovers

February total sales for GM’s industry-leading lineup of fuel-efficient crossovers were the best ever for the month, increasing 57 percent versus February 2010. Each of GM’s most popular crossovers set a record for retail sales for the month of February – Chevrolet Equinox (up 98 percent) and Traverse (up 32 percent); GMC Terrain (up 76 percent) and Acadia (up 25 percent); Buick Enclave (45 percent); and Cadillac SRX (up 62 percent). Combined retail sales for these models rose 58 percent during the month, compared to last year’s month.

Pickups and Utilities

Total sales of GM’s full-size pickup trucks – Chevrolet Silverado and Avalanche, and GMC Sierra – improved 65 percent in February versus a year ago, with retail sales rising 83 percent. Total sales of GM full-size utilities – Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, and Cadillac Escalade – rose 50 percent during the month, with combined retail sales improving 52 percent.

Month-end dealer inventory in the United States stood at about 517,000 units, which is about 7,000 higher compared to January and about 101,000 higher than February 2010.

Brand Key Facts:

• Chevrolet: Chevrolet dealers delivered 142,919 total vehicles in February, a 43-percent increase versus last year. Retail sales for Chevrolet rose 69 percent and were propelled by improving Cruze sales, which were 212 percent higher than the compact car it replaces. Silverado retail sales rose 84 percent, while Equinox posted its best February ever, with retail sales almost doubling, up 98 percent (read more).
• Buick: Buick reported 15,807 total sales, a 73-percent increase compared to February 2010. This includes a 90-percent surge in year-over-year retail sales, led by Regal (3,541 units), Enclave and LaCrosse, which had retail sales 45 and 28 percent higher than last year, respectively. This marks the 17th consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains for the brand (read more).
• GMC: GMC reported total sales of 32,534, a 59-percent increase compared to the same month last year. This marks the 17th consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases. Retail sales were 61 percent higher than last year, spurred by Sierra, Terrain, Yukon and Acadia – up 87 percent, 76 percent, 63 percent and 25 percent, respectively (read more).
• Cadillac: Cadillac reported total sales of 15,768 for February – 70 percent higher than last February, with retail sales increasing 83 percent. February was the 13th consecutive month of year-over-year total and retail sales gains. CTS retail sales rose 159 percent, driven by strong demand for the all-new CTS Coupe and Sedan. SRX retail sales were up 62 percent compared to a year ago, and the Escalade family saw retail sale rise 27 percent versus February last year (read more).
• Fleet sales for GM’s four brands were 43,900 for the month, a 2-percent increase for the month, with sales to rental fleets down 5 percent during the same period. Sales to commercial customers rose 19 percent for the month, the 11th consecutive month of commercial fleet sales gains. Fleet accounted for 21 percent of GM total sales during the month.  

About General Motors – General Motors (NYSE: GM, TSX: GMM), one of the world's largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 202,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in more than 120 countries.  GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 30 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Baojun, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Daewoo, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall, and Wuling. GM's largest national market is China, followed by the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and Italy.  GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.

GM U.S. Deliveries for February 2011 - Divisional Brand Level

GM U.S. Deliveries for February 2011 by Model

SOURCE General Motors