Car Buyer's Notebook

GM Top Stories

GM Sells 426,114 Vehicles in March

* GM sold 426,114 vehicles in March, with retail sales up 34 percent from February levels, led by strong retail truck sales. Overall, GM sales were down 1 percent. Truck sales were up 4 percent, and car sales were down 9 percent. Total first quarter sales were down 5 percent, with truck sales down 1.5 percent, and car sales down 9 percent.

GM Truck Sales

* GM’s March truck sales were up versus year-ago levels, led by the best March full-size pickup sales since 1978. Mid-size pickup sales rose 38 percent in March, led by best-ever monthly sales of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMCCanyon.

Full-Size Pickups

* With 100,210 full-size truck deliveries in March (a 17 percent increase compared to last year), GM led the competition by more than 19,000 units. The combined March sales of Chevrolet Silverado and Avalanche and GMC Sierra accounted for 42.1 percent of the segment, a 4.5 share point change compared to last year.

GM Sport Utility Vehicles

* Although GM’s total sport utility vehicle sales were down in March, small utility sales were up 71 percent, paced by the new Chevrolet Equinox, which broke the 10,000-unit sales mark for the fifth time in the last seven months. GM’s share of the small utility segment for the calendar year-to-date is 15 percent an increase of 6 share points, and the largest share increase among all manufacturers.

GM Cars

* Launch vehicles provided highlights for GM’s March car sales. Pontiac G6, Chevrolet Cobalt and Buick LaCrosse all achieved their best-ever month sales. Cadillac STS had its second-best monthly sales since launch, with deliveries 31 percent higher than February. Entry-level car sales were up 7 percent, led by strong sales of the Chevrolet Aveo and Cobalt.

* Best-selling GM trucks: GM ranked five trucks on the industry’s Top 20 best-selling truck list for March: Chevrolet Silverado (#2), GMC Sierra (#6), Chevrolet TrailBlazer (#7), Chevrolet Colorado (#13) and Chevrolet Tahoe (#14).
* Best-selling GM cars: GM ranked six cars on the industry’s Top 20 best-selling car list for March: Chevrolet Impala (#6), Chevrolet Malibu (#8), Chevrolet Cobalt (#11), Chevrolet Classic (#16), Saturn ION (#17) and Pontiac Grand Prix (#19).

GM Divisional Highlights

Buick:

* LaCrosse in March had its best sales month since introduction, with deliveries up 21 percent compared to February. LaCrosse retail sales outpaced year-ago combined Century and Regal retail sales achieving a 16.5 percent improvement.
* Terraza posted its best-ever monthly sales with a 37 percent increase over February deliveries.
* Buick plans to introduce its third all-new vehicle in just over a year with the launch of Lucerne later this year.

Cadillac:

* STS achieved its second-best monthly sales since launch with sales up 31 percent compared to February.
* Escalade ESV had record March sales, surpassing the previous March record set in 2004.

Chevrolet:

* Cobalt had exceptional March sales, breaking the 14,000-unit sales mark. March deliveries were 66 percent above February results. Production of the Cobalt SS coupe and Cobalt SS sedan is scheduled to begin this summer.
* Aveo sales were up 34 percent compared to year-ago levels.
* Colorado sales rose 58 percent, establishing a March record.
* Continuing its strong sales results, Equinox deliveries surpassed the 10,000-unit mark for the fifth time in the last seven months.
* HHR is scheduled for introduction in the late summer/early fall of 2005. The new Impala and Monte Carlo are scheduled to arrive in dealers’ showrooms later this year.

GMC:

* In the very competitive full-size pickup segment, Sierra set both monthly and calendar year-to-date sales records. Sierra sales for the calendar year are up 16 percent, and it has gained 1.3 share points in a segment that is down.
* Canyon sales were up 77 percent, setting a new March record.

HUMMER:

* HUMMER achieved its third consecutive month of sales increases in March, with sales that were 6 percent higher than February’s results

Pontiac:

* G6 had its best-ever monthly sales in March, beating its previous high in February by 21 percent. With the anticipation addition of the coupe this summer, availability of 4-cylinder engines and a retractable hardtop convertible in early 2006, G6 sales are expected to continue to strengthen.
* Pontiac GTO deliveries were up 84 percent compared to year-ago levels and set a new March sales record.

Saturn:

* March was Saturn’s best sales month since July 2004 and its fourth consecutive month of sales increases, with deliveries that were 26 percent higher than February.
* Ion sales were up 32 percent compared to February and 1 percent higher than year-ago levels. March was Ion’s best sales month since July 2004.
* Vue sales rose 23 percent; and Relay deliveries were up 22 percent, for its best-ever sales month.

* GM certified used vehicle sales in March achieved the category’s second-highest monthly sales. Calendar year-to-date sales are up 2 percent.
* GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry’s top-selling certified brand, in March posted its third highest sales month. Calendar year-to-date sales of GM Certified Used Vehicles are up 4 percent.
* GM Certified Used Vehicles led second-place Toyota by 18,577 units in March and by 56,410 units for the calendar year-to-date.
* Chevrolet is the industry’s top-selling single line certified used vehicle make, with March sales of 24,319 units and calendar year-to-date sales of 69,571 units.
* Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned in March posted its second-best monthly sales. Calendar year-to-date sales are up 13 percent over year-ago levels.
* Saab Certified Pre-Owned sales for the calendar year are down 23 percent.
* Used Cars from Saturn sales for the calendar year are down 18 percent.
* Calendar year-to-date share for all of GM’s certified brands is 33.3 percent, down 0.5 points from the same period last year.
* Calendar year-to-date market share for GM Certified Used Vehicles is 28.5 percent, equal to year-ago levels. Second place Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. trails GM Certified Used Vehicles by 11.5 points. Chevrolet, one of the five GM brands comprising GM Certified Used Vehicles, has a 17.5 percent share of the certified market for the calendar year-to-date.

Street Talk
The following statement regarding the Chevrolet Cobalt appeared on edmunds.com on March 14, 2005 (Dan Kahn):

“The Cobalt is a radical departure for the world’s largest automaker, thanks to stellar fit and finish and a sporty platform . . .Fastest in its class or not, there’s no arguing that the Cobalt SS Supercharged is the best Chevrolet compact to come along in decades. Thanks to snarling supercharged performance and a sleek new look, it can wear those SS badges with pride.”