The 2013 Chevrolet Malibu has been one of the bowtie brand's few recent disappointments.

Generating almost exactly half of its parent’s worldwide total, Chevrolet posted sales of 1.18 million vehicles during the first quarter of 2013, its 10^th consecutive quarterly record – despite the continuing slide of the European automotive market.

General Motors itself saw sales jump 3.6% for the quarter, to 2.36 million worldwide. The industry overall grew just 1.5% year-over-year. That allowed GM to boost its global market share to 11.4%, up from 11.2% during the first quarter of 2012.

Since its emergence from bankruptcy in 2009, GM has put increasing focus on Chevrolet as a worldwide, rather than American, brand and the latest numbers underscore that transition. U.S. motorists purchased 469,000 vehicles wearing the bowtie badge during the first quarter, or just under 40% of the global Chevy total.

The largest GM brand posted a 4.8% increase in the U.S. and gained ground in four of its five largest markets, including China, Brazil and Mexico. But it recorded an 11.0% decline in Argentina.

“Chevrolet is growing around the world by leveraging GM’s global engineering and design expertise to deliver the right products in the right markets,” said Mark Reuss, GM president of North America.

Reuss pointed to the Cruze as one of the brand’s most successful efforts to deliver a global product. The maker noted Chevy is in the midst of a product offensive that will see the launch of 25 new or significantly refreshed models and a growing number are targeted at worldwide markets. But several key entries are still regionally focused, notably including the all-new 2014 Chevrolet Silverado pickup.

Not everything is going as smoothly as the latest numbers might suggest for Chevrolet. Both Chevy and GM lost share in the key U.S. market in 2012 and are struggling to regain it this year. But that effort has been set back by the relatively weak performance of the updated Malibu sedan which has lagged behind key competitors such as the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord and Ford Fusion in the critical midsize segment.

Chevy has also been searching for the right advertising formula to connect with potential buyers and that has led to turmoil in its marketing department, especially after last year’s ouster of GM global ad chief Joel Ewanick.

The brand recently dropped one of two ad agencies that had teamed up in an unusual consortium known as Commonwealth. It has also hired a new marketing director, Tim Mahoney, who had a series of successes during previous careers at Porsche, Subaru and Volkswagen.

Chevy recently launched an all-new ad slogan, “Find New Roads,” that it will use in markets around the world in a bid to keep its sales momentum going.