DETROIT – General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) today reported its highest September U.S. sales since 2008: 210,245 vehicles, up 1.5 percent compared with a year ago. New products helped drive a 29 percent increase in passenger car sales. Sales of GM’s mini, small and compact cars alone were up a combined 97 percent, and all GM brands increased their retail sales.
“Passenger cars have been the launch point for a broad and deep GM product offensive,” said Kurt McNeil, vice president of U.S. sales operations. “Auto sales will continue to be a bright spot for the U.S. economy, which is particularly good news for GM as we walk into an even stronger cadence of new products in 2013 and 2014.”
GM has moved aggressively to replace existing vehicles with better designs, more technology and improved fuel economy. At the same time, GM is entering growth segments and offering new entry points for each brand. Seventy percent of GM nameplates will be all new or redesigned in 2012 and 2013.
September’s car sales increase reflected a strong start for the new Chevrolet Spark and Cadillac XTS, continued strong sales of the Buick Verano, Chevrolet Cruze and Chevrolet Sonic, and a second consecutive sales record for the Chevrolet Volt. September also marked the first deliveries of the all-new Cadillac ATS.
The GMC Terrain and Acadia crossovers had strong months as well, with sales up 8 percent and 16 percent, respectively. This helped drive a 3 percent increase for all GM crossovers versus a year ago.
Truck sales were down 20 percent due to a 46 percent year-over-year reduction in fleet sales due to the timing of customer deliveries. In the large pickup segment, GM’s total sales were down 12 percent and fleet sales were down 56 percent. However, GM reduced its large pickup inventories by approximately 8,600 units compared with August, and earned average transaction prices more than $2,300 per unit above a year ago with the lowest incentive spending in the industry, according to J.D. Power PIN data.
2012 Highlights | Sept. Total Sales | Total Change vs. Sept. 2011 | Sept. Retail Sales | Retail Change vs. Sept. 2011 | CYTD Sales |
CYTD Change vs. 2011 | CYTD Retail Sales | CYTD Retail Change vs. 2011 |
Chevrolet | 149,801 | 1.5% | 103,668 | 2.5% | 1,420,383 | 4.9% | 959,770 | 3.9% |
GMC | 33,192 | (0.0%) | 29,018 | 1.3% | 306,558 | 3.9% | 256,799 | 2.9% |
Buick | 14,673 | 7.9% | 13,598 | 10.0% | 137,262 | (2.0%) | 122,490 | 3.3% |
Cadillac | 12,579 | (1.3%) | 11,990 | 1.2% | 103,512 | (8.6%) | 97,793 | (1.9%) |
Total GM | 210,245 | 1.5% | 158,274 | 2.8% | 1,967,715 | 3.4% | 1,436,852 | 3.2% |
Inventory | Units @ Oct. 1, 2012 |
Days Supply (selling day adjusted) | Units @ Aug. 31, 2012 |
Days Supply (selling day adjusted) |
Year-end Inventory Target | Year-end Days Supply Target (selling day adjusted) |
All Vehicles | 689,334 | 82 | 687,354 | 77 | 650,000 units (range) | 65 – 70 |
Full-size Pickups | 240,810 | 116 | 249,411 | 122 | 200,000 – 220,000 units | 80 – 85 |
Industry Sales | Sept. SAAR (est.) | CYTD SAAR (est.) | Full Year 2012 (est.) |
Light Vehicles | 14.5 million range | 14.3 million | 14.0 million – 14.5 million |
General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world’s largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM’s brands include Chevrolet and Cadillac, as well as Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
In this press release and in related comments by our management, our use of the words “expect,” “anticipate,” “possible,” “potential,” “target,” “believe,” “commit,” “intend,” “continue,” “may,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “project,” “projected,” “positioned” or similar expressions is intended to identify forward-looking statements that represent our current judgment about possible future events. We believe these judgments are reasonable, but these statements are not guarantees of any events or financial results, and our actual results may differ materially due to a variety of important factors. Among other items, such factors might include: our ability to realize production efficiencies and to achieve reductions in costs as a result of our restructuring initiatives and labor modifications; our ability to maintain quality control over our vehicles and avoid material vehicle recalls; our ability to maintain adequate liquidity and financing sources and an appropriate level of debt, including as required to fund our planned significant investment in new technology; the ability of our suppliers to timely deliver parts, components and systems; our ability to realize successful vehicle applications of new technology; and our ability to continue to attract new customers, particularly for our new products. GM’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q provides information about these and other factors, which we may revise or supplement in future reports to the SEC.