General Motors sales in October jumped 13% vs. 2009 levels

Driven by strong demand for their popular crossovers and full-size pickup trucks, October combined sales for Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac increased 13 percent compared to October 2009 to 183,392 units.

Combined retail sales for the brands increased 13 percent compared to a year earlier and were 8 percent higher compared to September.

“Our October results show that our focused plan is working, as our four brands continue to grow,” said Don Johnson, vice president, U.S. sales operations. “Our sales are up more than double the industry’s increase through October, and we’ve gained almost two points of market share.” Year-to-date sales for GM’s four brands have increased 22 percent through October, while the industry has increased approximately 10.5 percent.

During the month, sales of GM’s newest and most popular crossovers – Chevrolet Equinox, GMC Terrain and Cadillac SRX – increased 58 percent compared to October last year. GM’s mid-sized crossovers – Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Chevrolet Traverse – had sales that were 16 percent higher versus last year. Combined, GM’s crossovers improved 36 percent during the month, and are up 64 percent year to date.

Total sales of the Chevrolet Avalanche, Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickups increased 9 percent for the month. The recently launched Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra heavy duty pickup trucks increased 27 percent compared to September.   

Deliveries of the Buick LaCrosse and Cadillac CTS also continued to rise, up 37 percent and 45 percent over last October respectively.

According to Johnson, the company is making the transition to new model year (2011) vehicles more rapidly than the industry, and expects to gain retail market share in October, compared to September. “Of our October sales, 76 percent were new (2011) model year vehicles,” Johnson said. “This puts us in good position to continue growing, while moderating our use of incentives.”

Dealer stock at the end of the month included 85 percent new model vehicles, compared to just 49 percent last year.

Month-end dealer inventory in the U.S. stood at about 515,000 units, which is about 37,000 units higher compared to September, and about 72,000 higher than October 2009.

October Key Facts and Brand Results:

• Calendar-year-to-date total sales for GM’s four brands are up 22 percent
• Calendar-year-to-date retail sales for GM’s four brands are up 15 percent
• Year-to-date through October, GM’s four brands have sold 85,737 more units than were sold with eight brands through October 2009. 
• Chevrolet: Chevrolet delivered 124,294 total vehicles in October, a 7 percent increase year-overyear. Year-to-date total Chevrolet sales are up 17 percent. Retail sales for Chevrolet rose 7 percent on the strength of Silverado and Equinox retail sales, which were up 3 and 54 percent, respectively, and on rising Cruze deliveries (read more).
• Buick: Buick, the fastest growing major automotive brand in the United States, reported 12,569 total sales, a 39 percent increase compared to a year ago. This includes a 36 percent rise in year-over-year retail sales – the 13th consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains for the brand. Total Buick sales are up 55 percent for the calendar year to date (read more).
• GMC: GMC reported total sales of 33,136, a 30 percent increase, compared to the same month last year. This marks the 13th consecutive month of year-over-year sales increases, spurred by the best month of the year for the Sierra and retail demand for its crossover SUVs Terrain and Acadia, which rose 75 and 65 percent compared to last year, respectively. For the year, GMC total sales are up 28 percent (read more).
• Cadillac: Total sales of 13,393 for October were 15 percent higher than last October, with retail sales increasing 41 percent. SRX retail sales were up 56 percent, compared to a year ago, and CTS retail sales increased 70 percent. The all-new 2011 CTS Coupe had another great month, up 28 percent, compared to September. With total sales up 40 percent for the year, the brand remains the fastest-growing luxury auto brand in the industry (read more).
• Fleet sales for GM’s four brands were 43,816 for the month.