Colorado has no benchmark from last year, but sales this summer have been consistently strong,
although far from an unusually strong May.
It’s been a long hot summer in America for 2015: pivotal Supreme Court decisions, people and police under fire (literally and figurative) and, for some here, trepidation due to poor Cadillac car sales. As the summer is about to reach its symbolic end, it is time to look at August sales reports and reflect on the past few months. Here are some of the highlights General Motors has been touting compared with August 2014:
Chevrolet
• Equinox: Total sales up 18 percent
GMI’s take: Ford Explorer's gain was slightly bigger, but the Equinox is leading calendar-year sales by a sizable amount
• Pickups: Deliveries up 26 percent
• Silverado: Total sales up 12 percent, with retail sales up 20 percent, the latter making this Silverado’s best August since 2008
GMI’s take: Carry that weight! Sales increase much better than Ford’s (plus see GMC below)• Tahoe: Retail deliveries up 5 percent for best August retail sales since 2008
GMI’s take: A decent month – sales are neck-and-neck with August 2014, although YTD sales are down almost 10 percent
• Malibu: Total sales up 7 percent, with retail sales up 15 percent – its best month for 2015
GMI’s take: Most higher-ranked competitors lost for August, so this was a nice rally, especially since total sales are down 2.5 percent for YTD
• Impala: Retail sales up 1 percent
GMI’s take: Stable for August, but total sales are down 22 percent, a reflection of the segment's poor performance these days
GMC
• Pickups: Total deliveries up 21 percent
• Sierra total sales up 7 percent, retail up 6 percent
GMI’s take: Increases not as healthy as Silverado’s, but combined sales for August are a photo finish for GM, although YTD total sales give Ford's F-Series a larger edge• Acadia: Total sales up 10 percent (its best August ever), with retail sales up 3 percent
GMI’s take: YTD total sales are up 20 percent, but +10% still a fine showing especially considering the historic performance
• Terrain: Retail sales up 10 percent
GMI’s take: Holding steady! To contrast, total sales are down almost 5 percent, but YTD up 2 percent
Buick
• Encore: Total and retail deliveries up 29 percent for August
GMI’s take: Those figures are below YTD at 34 percent, so Encore is stable and consistent
• Enclave: Total sales up 27 percent, with retail deliveries up 19 percent
GMI’s take: These stats completely blow YTD at 2 percent – well done, Buick!
• LaCrosse: Total deliveries up 1 percent
GMI’s take: Considering YTD is down 15 percent, a thumbs-up for August 2015
Cadillac
• SRX: Total sales up an astounding 52 percent, with retail sales 36 percent
GMI’s take: YTD is up 15 percent, so this is a nice lead-in to the upcoming XT5
Average Transaction Prices
• $34,000
• Up more than $300 month over month
• Up more than $600 year over year
GMI’s take: Silverado/Sierra’s success helped make this happen, plus incentive spending was down 0.8 percent from July 2015 – much better than the industry average of +0.2 percent
General Motors Tally
• August 2015 fell 0.7 percent compared to 2014, but YTD GM is up a hair over 3 percent
GMI’s take: GM’s August total sales yield was weaker than Ford’s 5.6 percent gain but overall GM is nicely ahead YTD
But what about the August 2015 sales of other models that weren’t mentioned in GM's press release?
• Buick Verano: Down 48 percent
GMI’s take: August 2014 had been very strong but Verano has been down for 2015, so the contrast appears more severe
• Buick Regal: Down 23 percent
GMI’s take: It’s been down all year, so no news here
• Cadillac ATS: Down 13 percent
GMI’s take: Par for the course for 2015
• Cadillac CTS: Down 33 percent
GMI’s take: The segment is not doing well either, but at least CTS sales were up from July 2015
• Cadillac Escalade: Down 22 percent
GMI’s take: Summer 2014 sales were quite strong despite crazy gas prices, making the comparison appear more glaring, but otherwise Escalade should get close to matching 2014’s total
• Chevrolet Cruze: Down 37 percent
GMI’s take: An anomaly
• Chevrolet Sonic: Down 64 percent
GMI’s take: Sonic’s all over the place, but overall it’s down for 2015, with August 2015 being an unusual drop thanks to an exceptionally strong 2014
• Chevrolet SS: Up 126 percent
GMI’s take: Nice to see more love!
• Chevrolet Volt: Down 45 percent
GMI’s take: July/Aug. 2014 were strong, but overall Volt sales have been down for 2015 – hopefully the redesign will change the trend
• GMC Yukon XL: Down 35 percent
GMI’s take: Started out strong for 2015 but perhaps summer gas prices have made their mark?
Overall, the story is as before: SUV/CUV sales are GM’s shining stars, and the sales performance of bread-and-butter sedans are making traditionalists cringe. For Cadillac fans, they can continue to complain about marketing and direction but the luxury segment isn't doing great overall so that’s its only saving grace. With reduced reliance on sales other than retail, increased ATPs, and reduced dependence on incentives, a tighter ship continues to sail.