General Motors Europe (GME) marginally outstripped sluggish growth of less than 1% in the European vehicle market to sell over 1,982,300 cars and light commercial vehicles in 2005, an increase of more than 22,000 – 1.1% over 2004.
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However, GM’s share of the market (western, central and eastern Europe) overall rose to 9. 5%.
“2005 was a pivotal year for us”, said GME president Carl-Peter Forster in a statement.
“We laid the foundation for sustainable growth with a healthy balance of structural improvements and investment in great new product launches.”
GM’s brands significantly outpaced industry growth in Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal and Denmark as well as in the rapidly expanding markets of Russia and Ukraine.
Both Saab and Chevrolet registered record sales volume in Europe last year. Saab grew in line with the market, maintaining its 0.4% share while increasing sales to 82,100 units. The Swedish marque performed exceptionally well in the United Kingdom where its sales increased 35% to 27,465 units.
Chevrolet’s year-on-year growth topped 26%, taking GM’s biggest global brand to a European sales total of over 240,000 and a market share of 1.2%, up from 0.9% in 2004.
The figures do not include over 40,000 Chevrolet-branded Lada Niva SUVs built and sold in Russia.)
Chevrolet should see further European sales growth this year with three new model launches and additional diesel engine availability planned.
Accounting for 80% of GM’s European sales, Opel/Vauxhall sold 1.6 million vehicles in 2005. Market share grew in nine of 21 European markets. Significantly, Opel and Vauxhall also grew share in their respective home markets of Germany and the United Kingdom.
Opel’s share of the German market climbed from 9.9 to more than 10%, taking the brand back to second position in its home country. Vauxhall reached 13.1% of the UK market after 12.6% a year earlier. The brands’ most important volume model, the compact C-series Astra hatchback/wagon line, sold 527,000 units in 2005, achieving a 2.5% share of the European market in its own right.
The Astra is now in second place in the European sales tables after halving the market share gap on the leader to 0.3% in the course of 2005. In 2006, Opel and Vauxhall will launch the redesigned next-generation Corsa and, with the all-new GM-Daewoo designed and built Antara, add a crossover vehicle to their model lines.
General Motors’ luxury brands, Cadillac and Corvette, also registered significant growth in 2005, achieving their best ever sales in Europe.
These brands are distributed by an independent Dutch company – Cadillac Europe BV. With well over one thousand registrations, the sixth-generation Corvette more than tripled 2004 sales levels. Cadillac increased its 2004 sales volume by over 50%, selling well over 2,000 units. The European-made Cadillac BLS, built on a modified Saab 9-3/Opel Vectra platform, is scheduled to go on sale this spring.
EXCLUSIVE: GME cost savings on track
