General Motors Co. sold 245,950 vehicles in the United States in March, up 6 percent compared with a year ago. Retail sales increased 4 percent, fleet sales were up 12 percent and the fleet mix was 27 percent of total sales. “GM delivered its best March sales in five years thanks to a strengthening economy and new products, and we are expecting our third consecutive increase in market share versus last year,” said Kurt McNeil, vice president of U.S. sales operations. “Sales of smaller cars have been robust for some time. Trucks have improved in lockstep with the housing market and the strength of the crossover market signals that America’s families are more confident about their financial health.”
March Highlights (vs. 2012)
- Cadillac was up almost 50 percent; Buick was up 37 percent; GMC was up 12 percent; and Chevrolet sales were essentially equal to a year ago.
- Crossovers were up 31 percent; trucks, which include pickups, vans and SUVs, were up 2 percent; car sales were down 3 percent; large pickup sales were up 6 percent.
- Small business sales, which are included in retail sales, were up 32 percent to almost 15,000 deliveries, aided by a stronger housing market.
- Sales of GM’s redesigned mid-size crossovers were up 62 percent. The Chevrolet Traverse was up 54 percent; the GMC Acadia was up 77 percent, and the Buick Enclave was up 55 percent for its best-ever March sales.
- The all-new Cadillac ATS had its best sales month yet with deliveries of 3,587 units.
- In its second full month, the all-new Buick Encore had sales of more than 3,000 units, driving a 19 percent increase in GM small and compact crossover sales. Van sales came in at 7020, a decrease of 11.7% from March 2012.
First Quarter Highlights (vs. 2012)
- GM sales were up 9 percent: retail sales were up 10 percent; fleet sales were up 6 percent, and fleet mix was 26 percent of total sales.
- Cadillac was up 38 percent; Buick was up 28 percent; GMC was up 14 percent, and Chevrolet was up 5 percent.
- Crossovers were up 25 percent; trucks were up 10 percent and cars were up slightly.
- Large pickup trucks were up 21 percent, and combined mini, small and compact cars were up 14 percent.
The UAW’s 2012 LM-2 report shows UAW membership continued to grow, increasing from 380,716 in 2011 to 382,513 in 2012. The growth in UAW membership continues along with the nation’s economic recovery. The successful turnaround of the automotive industry through the joint work of UAW auto members, auto management, and the Obama administration has played a key role in the recovery of the U.S. economy.
Membership numbers reported to the Department of Labor in recent years were:- 380,716 for 2011
- 376,612 for 2010
- 355,191 for 2009
“Our 2011 collective bargaining agreements with the domestic automakers resulted in investment commitments of $20 billion in communities across America through 2015, so we anticipate continued membership growth for the next two years,” King added. New members organized recently by the UAW include thousands of casino employees, workers at Southern auto parts facilities in Alabama and Kentucky, and workers at Tulsa Bus in Tulsa, Okla.
From the Detroit Free Press: General Motors is planning to launch two midsize pickup trucks as early as late next year under its Chevrolet and GMC brands. The new Chevrolet midsize pickup will be aimed at the “lifestyle,” pickup truck buyer while the GMC midsize pickup will be aimed at fleet buyers and small business owners, Mark Reuss, president of GM North America told the Free Press last week. Reuss said the launch of the two midsize trucks will be timed to coincide with Ford’s launch of its redesigned full-size F-150.
Ford is widely expected to launch its new F-150 by the end of 2014 or in early 2015. “We are going to have a midsize truck that we launch right down the alley,” Reuss said. “When they bring out their F-150, we are going to have something no-one else has.” Reuss said GM’s midsize pickups will be larger than a Toyota Tacoma, which is classified as a compact pickup.
GM phased out its compact Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups last year. Ford made its last Ford Ranger for North America in 2011. Chrysler ended production of the Dodge Ram Dakota in August, 2011, but continues to study the business case for a so-called lifestyle pickup, Fred Diaz, CEO of the Ram brand said in February. However, the timing of a new Dakota has been pushed back until approximately 2016. Compact pickups are a small segment in North America.
They accounted for only 264,197 sales in the U.S. last year compared with 1.94 million full-size pickups. “This is going to be a new truck— a new size of truck with a new set of powertrains in those trucks,” Reuss said. “It will be a little bigger than a Tacoma.”
Reuss said the decision to develop two midsize pickups is partly driven by the desire of some pickup buyers to be able to haul goods with better fuel economy than can be achieved by the company’s larger, full-size pickups.
“I don’t think you can cost effectively get close…from a light-weighting standpoint,” to the needs of those customers, Reuss said. “There is a buyer out there that doesn’t need everything that a full size truck does.”
Reuss said the two midsize trucks will be aimed at two distinct types of buyers. “We are going to go at it with Chevrolet on a lifestyle basis that will be quite different than a Silverado and we are going to go at it with GMC with professional grade capability in a little bit smaller truck with all of the fuel efficiency and fuel economy,” Reuss said.
Tom Brune
UAW/GM Communications Coordinator
Wentzville Assembly
636-327-2119
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