DETROIT ? Led by sales of fuel-efficient passenger cars and crossovers, General Motors reported April sales were up 27 percent from a year ago. April also was the best sales month for the Chevrolet Cruze and record sales for the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain compact crossovers.
Retail sales, those to individual customers, rose 25 percent versus last April with cars and crossovers up 49 percent and 28 percent, respectively. Retail sales for the Cruze were 180 percent higher than the Chevrolet Cobalt it replaced. The Equinox and Terrain also posted retail sales records, up 53 and 61 percent respectively.
With gasoline averaging almost $4 per gallon, consumers are beginning to trade in larger vehicles for smaller, more fuel efficient ones.
“Recently, rising fuel prices have led many to re-think their vehicle choice,” said Don Johnson, vice president, U.S. Sales Operations. “Because of the investments we’ve made in fuel-efficiency and global product architectures, the company is well positioned to meet these needs.”
During the first quarter of 2011, the company’s retail share of the small, compact and compact crossover segments improved by an estimated 3.4 full share points, compared to the first quarter of 2010. Much of this improvement is due to improved availability of the popular Equinox and Terrain and the launch of the all-new Cruze.
Compared to March, retail sales rose 4 percent though incentive spending decreased more than 10 percent, Johnson said.
Combined retail sales for vehicles launched since June 2009 ? Chevrolet Equinox, Silverado HD, Cruze, Camaro Convertible and Volt; Buick LaCrosse and Regal; GMC Sierra HD and Terrain; and Cadillac SRX, CTS Wagon and CTS Coupe ? jumped 76 percent during April and are up 76 percent for the year through April.
Total sales of GM passenger cars improved 50 percent during April, led by the sale of 25,160 Cruzes and 24,701 Chevrolet Malibus. Retail sales of GM passenger cars climbed 49 percent for the month. The Cruze and Chevrolet Camaro Convertible recorded their highest retail sales since launch. For the year-to-date, retail sales of GM’s passenger cars were up 49 percent, also led by the Cruze, up 195 percent for the year compared to the Chevrolet Cobalt.
The Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac brands each set April total and retail sales records for crossover sales, driven by a 49-percent increase in combined retail sales by the Equinox, Terrain and SRX. The three also set individual April records for retail sales. For the year-to-date, retail sales of GM’s industry-leading crossovers were up 29 percent.
Total combined sales of Chevrolet Silverado and Avalanche, and GMC Sierra increased 2 percent; with retail sales down 2 percent versus a year ago. For the year-to-date, retail sales for GM’s full-size pickups are up 26 percent, while total sales of 172,070 units represent a 22-percent increase.
Month-end dealer inventory in the United States stood at about 577,000 units, up about 3,000 units compared to March and about 149,000 higher than April 2010.
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