GM April Sales up Slightly

[Branden]

GM Reports April Sales of 401,451, Up Slightly



"Truckfest" Drives Industry Sales Records for GM Trucks and Utilities
New Chevrolet Equinox and Colorado Models Off to Fast Start

DETROIT - General Motors dealers sold 401,451 new cars and trucks in April, up slightly (+0.2 percent) compared to April 2003. GM's truck sales (248,555) were up 1.5 percent and car sales (152,896) were down 2 percent.

"GM's sales in April are up slightly compared to year-ago results," said John Smith, group vice president, GM North America Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "Truckfest delivered solid results in key categories, including new industry records for total truck sales and utility sales, and we will continue this program in May. We have work to do on the car side of our business, but with upcoming new entries like the Pontiac G6, Buick LaCrosse and Cadillac STS and an improving economy, we expect to see continued growth for both the industry and GM."

GM Truck Sales

GM's industry-leading truck sales established a new industry record in April with a 1.5 percent increase compared to last year. Both Cadillac and Chevrolet set April sales records for trucks. Chevrolet had 164,893 truck deliveries, up 1 percent. Cadillac truck sales (6,649) improved 30 percent. Full-size pickup deliveries were down 4 percent, compared to record year-ago sales, yet led the industry and reached nearly 88, 000 units (87,261).

Sport utility vehicle sales again surpassed the 100,000-unit mark with 109,072 deliveries, a 6 percent increase and another industry record. GM remains the only manufacturer to sell over 100,000 utilities in a month. Small utilities set the pace, with 18,718 deliveries, a 100 percent improvement over last year. Saturn Vue sales (10,671) were up 59 percent, and Chevrolet Equinox sales continued to gain momentum with 6,500 deliveries in April. Mid-size utility sales (45,447) were up 4 percent, led by Chevrolet TrailBlazer (19,542), up 2 percent, and GMC Envoy (10,306), with a sales increase of 8 percent.

GM Car Sales

GM's car sales declined 2 percent compared to last April. Mid-size car sales were up 3 percent, paced by Pontiac Grand Prix (up 35 percent) and Grand Am (up 40 percent). In the entry-level segment, Pontiac Vibe sales were up 7 percent. Among GM's launch vehicles, Aveo had its best sales month to-date (3,900), 12 percent above March.

Divisional Highlights

Chevrolet - The recently-launched Equinox continued to gain sales strength with 6,500 deliveries in April. The new Colorado mid-size pickup also had a strong month with 10,461 deliveries, up 22 percent from last month. Avalanche achieved record April sales with 7,945 deliveries, 19 percent over last year.

Cadillac - Cadillac sales momentum continued in April with a 30 percent improvement in truck sales (6,649). SRX had 2,209 deliveries. In April, Cadillac re-emerged as a leader in initial vehicle quality among luxury nameplates based on the 2004 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study.

GMC - GMC had strong sales in April with 49,748 deliveries, down slightly from record year-ago levels (-0.6 percent). The new Canyon mid-size pickup had 2,262 sales, resulting in a 12 percent increase over March sales. Yukon continued its exceptional sales pace, establishing a new April sales record with 7,138 deliveries, up 3 percent.

HUMMER - HUMMER sales were 2,268. H2 sales totaled 2,218.

Pontiac - Pontiac's total vehicle deliveries in April (42,345) improved 16 percent, with car sales (36,781) up 26 percent. Vibe set a monthly sales record in April with 5,478 deliveries, up 7 percent. Grand Prix sales (10,156) were up 35 percent, and Grand Am sales (14,347) increased 40 percent.

Saturn - Saturn's total deliveries in April were 21,778, marking three consecutive months of sales increases this year. VUE achieved record monthly sales (10,671), which were up 60 percent. Ion had 8,303 sales, a 1 percent increase over last year and an April sales record.

Certified Used Vehicles

April 2004 sales for all GM certified used vehicle brands, including GM Certified Used Vehicles, Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned, Used Cars from Saturn and Saab Certified Pre-Owned, were 40,977 units, down 3 percent from April 2003.

GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry's top-selling manufacturer-certified used brand, led the way with April sales of 34,169 units, a 3 percent decline from year-ago totals. GM Certified Used Vehicles continues to lead all certified pre-owned brands with 2004 sales of 143,619 units through April 30.

Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 728 units in April, up 10 percent. Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles posted sales of 2,862 units in April, down 2 percent, and Used Cars from Saturn sold 3,218 units, down 2 percent from year-ago figures.

"GM Certified Used Vehicles continues to lead all certified brands, with year-to-date sales through April up nearly 10 percent over year-ago figures, while year-to-date sales for all GM's certified brands are up more than 9 percent," Smith said. "We're optimistic that we'll see continued sales growth through the rest of 2004."

GM North America Announces April Production Results; 2004 Second-Quarter Production Forecast Unchanged

In April, GM North America produced 455,000 vehicles (177,000 cars and 278,000 trucks) in North America, compared to 461,000 vehicles (179,000 cars and 282,000 trucks) produced in April 2003. Production totals include joint venture production of 20,000 vehicles in April 2004 and 15,000 in April 2003.

In addition, GM North America's current 2004 second-quarter production forecast remains unchanged at 1.38 million vehicles (539,000 cars and 841,000 trucks). In the second quarter of 2003, GM North America built 1.38 million vehicles (544,000 cars and 837,000 trucks).

[xellow]

Ford is in need of new product to help sales. - Like Chevy now has.

[paul8488]

impressive results for saturn, especially for the vue. and glad to see the equinox starting off strong. should be a good summer for GM! and yes, this is one small window on the year to look through, but it's still a positive (if narrow) view. glad to see people have smartened up and have jumped back on the vibewagon!