GM hasn't stopped the sales loss caused by closed brands. New models are strong, though.
Dealers for General Motors delivered 195,380 vehicles in June compared with 176,574 one year ago when it was in bankruptcy, a gain of 10.7%.
It remains in the Number One Spot in U.S. sales. by a healthy margin.
However, in May of this year GM sold 222,000 vehicles, so June represented a setback in what was a slow recovery in vehicle sales.
Year-to-date, GM sold 1,080,521, or 13% more than the corresponding year earlier period. The industry is up 17% for the same period.
This is 17,022 fewer units CYTD than 2009, when the now cancelled Hummer, Pontiac, Saab and Saturn brands were still operating. The overall market is up 17% YTD through May. Therefore, GM is lagging the movement in the market.
GM prefers to cut the numbers differently, pointing out that June sales for Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac increased by a combined 36% to 194,828 units in the United States. This is the sixth straight month in which sales for GM’s remaining brands increased year-over-year by more than 20%.
Year-to-date sales for the four brands also have risen 32% to 1,069,577 units – an increase of 258,368 units compared to last year.
The increase was caused by the success of the company’s launch vehicles, its growing sales of compact, midsize and luxury crossovers, and some recovery in the markets for pickups and full-size SUVs.
The resurgence in large pickup truck sales was a key factor behind June’s results, according to Don Johnson, vice president, U.S. Sales Operations. Combined sales of the Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Avalanche, and GMC Sierra were up 27% for the month, compared to June 2009 and are up 12 percent year-to-date.
“As companies continue to invest in their businesses, we expect this segment to continue to recover,” said Johnson. “We think the release of some pent up demand in the pickup market is an indication that a fundamental part of the U.S. economy is gradually strengthening.”