Best September for GM in Europe since 1999

[Northstar]

-Saab and Chevrolet record highest ever September market share -Opel and Vauxhall with strongest September in three years -Total GM sales growing faster than European market in first nine months Zurich - General Motors (GM) sold over 1,525,000 vehicles in Europe in the first three quarters of 2005, an increase of more than 25,000 or 1.7 percent over the same period last year. GM’s share of the European market rose from 9.5 to almost 9.6 percent. Last month was GM’s best September in Europe since 1999. The company’s share of the total European market reached 10.13 percent compared with 9.8 percent in September 2004.* “September was a great month for us and, over the first three quarters, we continue to grow faster than the industry average,” said Jonathan Browning, GM Europe’s Vice-President of Sales, Marketing and Aftersales. “Looking ahead, it is encouraging to see full order books for this year’s most important new entries, the Saab 9-3 SportCombi, the Opel/Vauxhall Zafira and the Chevrolet Matiz.” Saab’s September 2005 share of the European market was the its highest ever at 0.51 percent. GM’s Swedish premium brand sold 9,700 cars in September, 17 percent more than in September 2004. For the first nine months of the year, Saab sales of 59,800 were just over 1,000 vehicles down on 2004. Strong volume gains in the United Kingdom (41%) and Ireland (8.5%), Denmark (29%) and Portugal (18%) were offset by declining sales in other markets. Saab’s market share remained stable at 0.38 percent over the first nine months of the year (2004: 0.39%). GM’s biggest volume brands in Europe , Opel and Vauxhall, had their best September since 1999 with sales of 155,000. Market share reached 8.1 percent across Europe and topped 11.1 percent in Opel’s home market of Germany after 9.1 percent in September 2004. Over the first nine months of the year, Opel/Vauxhall achieved sales of 1,241,800 vehicles, down 10,000 on a year earlier. Their combined share of the total European market slipped slightly from 7.95 to 7.8 percent. Opel’s sales performance varied widely across the continent. There was significant growth in Germany (5.8%), Ireland (14%) the Nordic markets ( Denmark : 28%; Norway : 17%; Sweden : 16%; Finland : 9%) and Portugal (19%). Chevrolet, like Saab, had its best September ever with its share of the European market reaching 1.31 percent (September 2004: 1.05%). Aggregate sales for the first nine months also reached an all-time high of 182,000, an increase of 27 percent on the 143,183 cars sold in the same period in 2004. Chevrolet’s share of the European market went up from 0.91 to 1.14 percent in the January to September timeframe. Particularly high growth rates were registered in Poland (137%) and Central & Eastern Europe (86%). Chevrolet Russia , which just started its activities this year, already sold 11,500 cars (excluding the locally built Chevrolet Niva) and Ukraine has seen dramatic growth with 20,800 vehicles sold so far this year compared with 5,484 during the same period of 2004. Chevrolet also continued to grow sales in Western Europe with an average increase of 7 percent over the first nine months of 2004. General Motors’ luxury brands, Cadillac, Corvette and Hummer, continue to make steady progress in Europe . Well over one thousand Corvettes, more than three times as many as in all of 2004, have already been sold. With close to 2,000 cars registered in the first three quarters, Cadillac has already exceeded its 2004 total sales figure, while Hummer is also on track to exceed last year’s sales total of 419. General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader since 1931. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 317,000 people around the world. It has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 200 countries . In 2004, GM sold nearly 9 million cars and trucks globally, up 4 percent and the second-highest total in the company’s history. GM’s global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit.

[AAS]

Great news! I hope GM (everywhere else) can keep up this growth and support GMNA's losses until things get better over here.