General Motors sold 7.2m vehicles globally in the first nine months of 2015, down 1.3% on last year's tally for the same period. The overall slight decline came in spite of increases in four of its five largest markets, with record sales in China and strong retail sales gains in the US.
GM said that the decline was “due primarily to the company’s previously announced decisions to strategically reduce its presence in certain markets, as well as difficult market conditions in South America”.
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“Our unwavering focus on the customer is paying off in our largest and most important markets as we execute one successful launch after another in the right segments,” said GM President Dan Ammann. “At the same time, we have reacted quickly to challenging macroeconomic environments in other markets and have shown the discipline to exit situations where we see no long-term path to acceptable returns.”
On the positive side, GM highlighted growth of high margin truck sales, including GM truck sales in North America up 16% in the first nine months; Chevrolet truck deliveries in the US were up 17%. Chevrolet also had record crossover sales in North America in the same period, up 17%.
In China, crossovers like the Chevrolet Trax and Buick Envision represented more than 17% of sales by GM and its joint ventures in September, up from 6% a year ago. Cadillac had record sales in China with deliveries rising 12% to nearly 57,000 units.
GM says it is preparing to launch even more new trucks and crossovers during the next several months, including the all-new Cadillac XT5, a redesigned Chevrolet Silverado and a diesel-powered Chevrolet Colorado for North America, and the Baojun 560 in China. Key car launches include the all-new Chevrolet Malibu and Cruze in North America and the Opel Astra in Europe.
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By GlobalDataGM Global Sales: January – September 2015
Notes:
GM North America = United States, Canada, Mexico, and other North American markets
GM Europe = Western, Central and Eastern Europe
GM International = Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East
| Q3 | Calendar Year-to-Date | |||||||||||
| Region | Total Sales | YOY Change | Pct. Change | Total Sales | YOY Change | Pct. Change | ||||||
| GM North America | 930758 | 46110 | 5.20% | 2685342 | 126257 | 4.90% | ||||||
| GM Europe | 287690 | 3137 | 1.10% | 898236 | -60131 | (6.3%) | ||||||
| GM South America | 150142 | -66956 | (30.8%) | 485557 | -156749 | (24.4%) | ||||||
| GM International | 191847 | -21928 | (10.3%) | 589854 | -41525 | (6.6%) | ||||||
| GM China ** | 773226 | -33902 | (4.2%) | 2492428 | 38215 | 1.60% | ||||||
| Total | 2333663 | -73539 | (3.1%) | 7151417 | -93933 | (1.3%) | ||||||
| Quarter 3 | Calendar Year-to-Date | |||||||||||
| Sales by Brand | Total Sales | YOY Change | Pct. Change | Total Sales | YOY Change | Pct. Change | ||||||
| Chevrolet | 1078847 | -112998 | (9.5%) | 3291133 | -252280 | (7.1%) | ||||||
| Opel/Vauxhall | 272619 | 14007 | 5.40% | 864338 | 31256 | 3.80% | ||||||
| Buick | 300335 | 10858 | 3.80% | 852289 | 21635 | 2.60% | ||||||
| Cadillac | 67895 | 997 | 1.50% | 198993 | 6228 | 3.20% | ||||||
| GMC | 176222 | 11100 | 6.70% | 499343 | 48933 | 10.90% | ||||||
| Baojun | 110977 | 69395 | 166.90% | 270488 | 189857 | 235.50% | ||||||
| Wuling | 286155 | -55358 | (16.2%) | 1050327 | -100110 | (8.7%) | ||||||
| All Others | 40613 | -11540 | (22.1%) | 124506 | -39452 | (24.1%) | ||||||
| Total | 2333663 | -73539 | (3.1%) | 7151417 | -93933 |
(1.3%) |
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