Jan 2006 Sales: General Motors Corp

[jd2b]

http://media.gm.com/servlet/GatewayServlet...n=2&docid=22705

GM Reports 296,003 Deliveries in January, Up 6 Percent

Cadillac, HUMMER, Pontiac, Saab and Saturn Post Sales Increases

Deliveries of Chevrolet Tahoe Up 53 Percent; Large Utility Sales Rise 23 Percent

Launch Vehicle Momentum Continues, Paced by DTS, Lucerne, HHR, Impala, G6 and H3

DETROIT - General Motors dealers in the United States sold 296,003 new cars and trucks in January, up 6 percent compared to the same month a year ago. Car sales were up 15 percent and truck sales were comparable to year-ago levels (-0.5 percent).

"We had solid results in January and showed some very encouraging pockets of strength," said Mark LaNeve, General Motors North America vice president, Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "Dealers reported improving traffic in their showrooms and internet lead generation as the month progressed and consumers became aware of our aggressive reduction in sticker prices. Recent new segment entries, Chevrolet HHR, Buick Lucerne and HUMMER H3, continue to accelerate, and we had terrific sales performance for Cadillac DTS, Chevrolet Impala and Pontiac G6. We also had a very encouraging start for the new Chevy Tahoe."

GM's January deliveries were led by a 23 percent increase in full-size sport utility sales. Chevrolet Tahoe, which had a 53 percent sales increase, paced large utility deliveries. Sales of the all-new 2007 Tahoe are off to a strong start, and production of GM's other all-new full-size utilities, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade, is ramping up.

LaNeve went on to explain that while it was early in the launch of GM's all-new full-size utilities, there are a number of positive signs. "Dealers, consumers and third parties have reacted very enthusiastically to these segment-leading new vehicles," LaNeve said. "Sales, production, inventory turn rates and dealer orders are all ahead of plan. It's January, it's early, but we're optimistic that these great new products will be successful."

Small utility deliveries rose 76 percent, led by continuing strong sales of the Chevrolet HHR and Saturn VUE. HHR had its second-best monthly sales since its launch. The new VUE, which posted record January deliveries (up 39.5 percent) drove a 22.5 percent sales improvement for Saturn. This was the eighth consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains for VUE.

GM continued to experience strong sales of its luxury vehicles with Cadillac, HUMMER and Saab all posting January sales increases. Luxury utility deliveries again were driven by the HUMMER H3, which continued the strong sales pace HUMMER began in 2005. HUMMER posted a year-over-year sales record for the ninth consecutive month, and January deliveries were 180 percent greater than year-ago levels.

In addition to improved luxury utility sales, January luxury car deliveries posted a 24 percent gain. Luxury car sales were paced by Cadillac DTS, with deliveries more than double year-ago sales for DeVille, the vehicle it replaced. DTS achieved its second-best sales month since launch, and CTS set a new January sales record (up 6 percent), driving Cadillac to a 5 percent sales improvement. Saab's 34 percent sales gain was paced by the 9-3, which achieved solid sales results, posting a 35 percent improvement over year-ago levels.

Certified Used Vehicles

January sales for all GM certified used vehicle brands, including GM Certified Used Vehicles, Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned, Used Cars from Saturn, Saab Certified Pre-Owned and HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned were 39,491 units, down nearly 2 percent from last year.

GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry's top-selling manufacturer-certified used brand, posted sales of 34,493 units in January, up 0.5 percent from year-ago levels.

Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles posted sales of 2,943 units in January, down 1 percent. Used Cars from Saturn sold 1,607 units, down 33 percent. Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 434 units, down 2.5 percent. HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned reported 14 units sold in its first month of operation.

"Coming off record certified-segment annual sales in 2005, GM Certified Used Vehicles posted solid sales results in January," LaNeve said. "GM Certified continues to lead all manufacturers in the certified category, and we are optimistic about the prospects for continued growth in 2006."

GM North America Reports January Production, 2006 First-Quarter Production Forecast Remains Unchanged

GM North America in January produced 386,000 vehicles (158,000 cars and 228,000 trucks). This is up 33,000 units, or 9 percent, compared to January 2005 when the region produced 353,000 vehicles (143,000 cars and 210,000 trucks). Production totals include joint venture production of 26,000 vehicles in January 2006 and 22,000 vehicles in January 2005.

The region's 2006 first-quarter production forecast remains unchanged at 1.25 million vehicles (505,000 cars and 745,000 trucks). In the first quarter of 2005, the region produced 1.182 million vehicles (470,000 cars and 712,000 trucks).

[Drew Dowdell]

*continues buying GM stock*

[Newbiewar]

GM Reports 296,003 Deliveries in January, Up 6 Percent

Cadillac, HUMMER, Pontiac, Saab and Saturn Post Sales Increases

Deliveries of Chevrolet Tahoe Up 53 Percent; Large Utility Sales Rise 23 Percent

Launch Vehicle Momentum Continues, Paced by DTS, Lucerne, HHR, Impala, G6 and H3

DETROIT - General Motors dealers in the United States sold 296,003 new cars and trucks in January, up 6 percent compared to the same month a year ago. Car sales were up 15 percent and truck sales were comparable to year-ago levels (-0.5 percent).

"We had solid results in January and showed some very encouraging pockets of strength," said Mark LaNeve, General Motors North America vice president, Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "Dealers reported improving traffic in their showrooms and internet lead generation as the month progressed and consumers became aware of our aggressive reduction in sticker prices. Recent new segment entries, Chevrolet HHR, Buick Lucerne and HUMMER H3, continue to accelerate, and we had terrific sales performance for Cadillac DTS, Chevrolet Impala and Pontiac G6. We also had a very encouraging start for the new Chevy Tahoe."

GM's January deliveries were led by a 23 percent increase in full-size sport utility sales. Chevrolet Tahoe, which had a 53 percent sales increase, paced large utility deliveries. Sales of the all-new 2007 Tahoe are off to a strong start, and production of GM's other all-new full-size utilities, GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade, is ramping up.

LaNeve went on to explain that while it was early in the launch of GM's all-new full-size utilities, there are a number of positive signs. "Dealers, consumers and third parties have reacted very enthusiastically to these segment-leading new vehicles," LaNeve said. "Sales, production, inventory turn rates and dealer orders are all ahead of plan. It's January, it's early, but we're optimistic that these great new products will be successful."

Small utility deliveries rose 76 percent, led by continuing strong sales of the Chevrolet HHR and Saturn VUE. HHR had its second-best monthly sales since its launch. The new VUE, which posted record January deliveries (up 39.5 percent) drove a 22.5 percent sales improvement for Saturn. This was the eighth consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains for VUE.

GM continued to experience strong sales of its luxury vehicles with Cadillac, HUMMER and Saab all posting January sales increases. Luxury utility deliveries again were driven by the HUMMER H3, which continued the strong sales pace HUMMER began in 2005. HUMMER posted a year-over-year sales record for the ninth consecutive month, and January deliveries were 180 percent greater than year-ago levels.

In addition to improved luxury utility sales, January luxury car deliveries posted a 24 percent gain. Luxury car sales were paced by Cadillac DTS, with deliveries more than double year-ago sales for DeVille, the vehicle it replaced. DTS achieved its second-best sales month since launch, and CTS set a new January sales record (up 6 percent), driving Cadillac to a 5 percent sales improvement. Saab's 34 percent sales gain was paced by the 9-3, which achieved solid sales results, posting a 35 percent improvement over year-ago levels.

Certified Used Vehicles

January sales for all GM certified used vehicle brands, including GM Certified Used Vehicles, Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned, Used Cars from Saturn, Saab Certified Pre-Owned and HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned were 39,491 units, down nearly 2 percent from last year.

GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry's top-selling manufacturer-certified used brand, posted sales of 34,493 units in January, up 0.5 percent from year-ago levels.

Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles posted sales of 2,943 units in January, down 1 percent. Used Cars from Saturn sold 1,607 units, down 33 percent. Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 434 units, down 2.5 percent. HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned reported 14 units sold in its first month of operation.

"Coming off record certified-segment annual sales in 2005, GM Certified Used Vehicles posted solid sales results in January," LaNeve said. "GM Certified continues to lead all manufacturers in the certified category, and we are optimistic about the prospects for continued growth in 2006."

GM North America Reports January Production, 2006 First-Quarter Production Forecast Remains Unchanged

GM North America in January produced 386,000 vehicles (158,000 cars and 228,000 trucks). This is up 33,000 units, or 9 percent, compared to January 2005 when the region produced 353,000 vehicles (143,000 cars and 210,000 trucks). Production totals include joint venture production of 26,000 vehicles in January 2006 and 22,000 vehicles in January 2005.

The region's 2006 first-quarter production forecast remains unchanged at 1.25 million vehicles (505,000 cars and 745,000 trucks). In the first quarter of 2005, the region produced 1.182 million vehicles (470,000 cars and 712,000 trucks).

GM also announced 2005 actual fourth-quarter production and 2006 first-quarter production forecasts for its international regions.

GM Europe - In the fourth quarter of 2005, the region built 443,000 vehicles. In the fourth quarter of 2004, GM Europe built 442,000 vehicles. GM Europe's 2006 first-quarter production estimate remains unchanged at 497,000 vehicles. In the first quarter of 2005, the region built 502,000 vehicles.

GM Asia-Pacific - GM Asia Pacific built 482,000 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2005. In the fourth quarter of 2004, the region built 386,000 vehicles. GM Asia Pacific's 2006 first-quarter production estimate remains unchanged at 411,000 vehicles. In the first quarter of 2005, the region built 335,000 vehicles.

GM Latin America, Africa and the Middle East - The region built 188,000 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2005. In the fourth quarter of 2004, the region produced 200,000 vehicles. The region's 2006 first-quarter production estimate remains at 201,000 vehicles. In the first quarter of 2005, the region built 185,000 vehicles.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world's largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader for 75 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 327,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2005, 9.17 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. GM operates one of the world's leading finance companies, GMAC Financial Services, which offers automotive, residential and commercial financing and insurance. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

Note: GM sales and production results are available on GM Media OnLine at http://media.gm.com by clicking on News, then Sales/Production. In this press release and related comments by General Motors management, our use of the words "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "forecast," "objective," "plan," "goal" and similar expressions is intended to identify forward looking statements. While these statements represent our current judgment on what the future may hold, and we believe these judgments are reasonable, actual results may differ materially due to numerous important factors that are described in GM's most recent report on SEC Form 10-K (at page II-20) which may be revised or supplemented in subsequent reports on SEC Forms 10-Q and 8-K. Such factors include, among others, the following: changes in economic conditions, currency exchange rates or political stability; shortages of fuel, labor strikes or work stoppages; market acceptance of the corporation's new products; significant changes in the competitive environment; changes in laws, regulations and tax rates; and, the ability of the corporation to achieve reductions in cost and employment levels to realize production efficiencies and implement capital expenditures at levels and times planned by management.

[Matt276]

Good numbers for the Tahoe.

[Newbiewar]

*continues buying GM stock*

same here... i'm liking...

Good numbers for the Tahoe.

yea 53% up...

but yukon sales are down... not really sure why

[Newbiewar]

its also nice to see the car line up a lot...

saturn is up... pontiac is way up... hummer, doesnt really count

[Drew Dowdell]

'07 Tahoes are at the dealerships..... '07 Yukons and Escalades don't seem to be yet.

[TheMattMan]

Much needed good news .

[Newbiewar]

'07 Tahoes are at the dealerships..... '07 Yukons and Escalades don't seem to be yet.

our gmc next door has plenty, and they love taking em on test drives...

[CSpec]

Wow Pontiac really cranked out the Enterprise cars...

Lucerne and DTS are doing quite well. The Lacrosse needs a refresh.

The Solstice is selling on target; I bet that number will go way up when the auto versions come out.

The STS and SRX aren't doing too well, especially the SRX.

The Colorado got really hammered; that would do well with a V8 and an interior upgrade.

[Matt276]

I suspect an increase of fleet sales.

[Newbiewar]

I suspect an increase of fleet sales.

i dont really know... my dealership is down about 30%...

last year we sold 310, this year about 210...

but we dont sell anything fleet...

Edited February 1, 2006 by Newbiewar

[milleramerican]

Great news! This is good to hear.

[turbo200]

yukons are barely filtering in my area. Local dealer has had loads of Tahoes for about two weeks now, and just one Yukon appeared the other night.

WOW! Positive news, for once. Good month all around thankfully, and, hmmmm, are the sticker prices really contributing, are we beginning to see somewhat of an upward momentum thanks to a new Value premise?

Lucerne and Lacrosse had a solid month=Buick cars slightly up

CTS, DTS up STS holding steady=Cadillac cars up

G6 finally had a month similar to Grand Am's heyday, GP good numbers, but for God's sake that car needs a replacement stat

HHR whoa! Tahoe!

Them are some good numbers. Good showing all around. I really hope the value stickers are fueling this upward tick, and that their permanance helps to bring in more buyers over the next year.

[jbartley]

G6 finally had a month similar to Grand Am's heyday, GP good numbers, but for God's sake that car needs a replacement stat

HHR whoa! Tahoe!

Haha, Grand Prix needed a replacement three years ago! i'm surprised they sell THAT many.

and go HHR!

(to the press) me too cruiser? in your face, in your face.

[DelawareMonte]

Good sales numbers for January! Way to go GM!! I couldn't help but laught seeing a few Oldsmobiles in the mix of numbers. How on earth can there still be unsold Oldsmobiles?? Also Buick Regals and Century's?

[bowtie_dude]

This is after the news this morning had analysts predicting GM sales down and Toyota sales up. Dickheads.

[Northstar]

Well, maybe GM will have some positive momentum for once. The key in gaining momentum is stringing together positive months; if February is a down month than the gain in Jan is meaningless.

Sales seem to be pretty strong for January:

- 6100 Lucernes makes it the top-selling Buick, but it needs to be around 8-10k monthly (in the summer months I expect it to hit 10k).

- The DTS more than doubled last year's Deville total.

- Did Aveo production stop or slow down for the new one? All other Chevy mainstream cars were up with the exception of the SSR and discontinued models.

- The coupe really seems to be helping the G6. Solstice was solid again (as expected).

- The Enclave can't get here soon enough for Buick's truck side.

- Equinox and Colorado apparantly could use a refresh.

- If you add HHR sales to Cobalt sales the total is over 25k units; very impressive consider it is January

- The 2007 Tahoe hasn't even been on sale for a month and appears to be a hit.

- I didn't expect the Torrent to almost hit 3k sales, much less in January.

Overall I'd say it was a pretty good sales month for GM considering all of the negative news surrounding the company.

[CSpec]

How many of those Grand Prixs went to fleets? I'd guess 70% +

[Petra]

2005 was just a bad year for GM. It started out with bad news, and things snowballed from there. Perhaps, if they can keep the bad news from pilling up, 2006 will be brighter.

[sciguy_0504]

The huge 9-3 increase is weird as well. I do not have a problem with it, just where the hell have all the Saabers been?

[enzl]

How many of those Grand Prixs went to fleets? I'd guess 70% +

I don't mean to rain on the parade, but the numbers have been helped by unusually high sales to fleets for Jan....

Doesn't change some of the positives, but it tempers my optimism a little.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Well HOT DAMN!!!!!

Looks like the analysts can shove the down 10% up their collective.....

Cadillac, HUMMER, Pontiac, Saab and Saturn Post Sales Increases

5 of 8 divisions up isn't bad!!! And just think, one is a "damaged" division, two of the other Kerkorian wants to axe and one has been deprived of product for 10 years.

Deliveries of Chevrolet Tahoe Up 53 Percent; Large Utility Sales Rise 23 Percent

Gas prices what?!?!?!?!

I'm sure the decidedly green media will continue the SUV death march though... But how sweet it is to see all these "GM is stupid for introducing the HHR" and "GM is stupid for introducing large SUVs" crowds eat crow (at least this month)

Small utility deliveries rose 76 percent, led by continuing strong sales of the Chevrolet HHR and Saturn VUE. HHR had its second-best monthly sales since its launch. The new VUE, which posted record January deliveries (up 39.5 percent) drove a 22.5 percent sales improvement for Saturn. This was the eighth consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains for VUE.

This is one of the new sweet spots in the market... GM needs to react quickly!

GM continued to experience strong sales of its luxury vehicles with Cadillac, HUMMER and Saab all posting January sales increases. Luxury utility deliveries again were driven by the HUMMER H3, which continued the strong sales pace HUMMER began in 2005. HUMMER posted a year-over-year sales record for the ninth consecutive month, and January deliveries were 180 percent greater than year-ago levels.

NICE!

In addition to improved luxury utility sales, January luxury car deliveries posted a 24 percent gain. Luxury car sales were paced by Cadillac DTS, with deliveries more than double year-ago sales for DeVille, the vehicle it replaced. DTS achieved its second-best sales month since launch, and CTS set a new January sales record (up 6 percent), driving Cadillac to a 5 percent sales improvement. Saab's 34 percent sales gain was paced by the 9-3, which achieved solid sales results, posting a 35 percent improvement over year-ago levels.

So much for that article a few weeks ago about Cadillac losing it's momentum... I'm glad to see the DTS doing well, at first I thought it to be a little weak.

This is after the news this morning had analysts predicting GM sales down and Toyota sales up. Dickheads.

Just more of the same negativity and FORMULATED FACTS.... I'm sure they'll downplay the hell out of the GM sales increase though... They're hellbent on seeing GM slide to number 2 and then shrivel up and die afterall.

If you add HHR sales to Cobalt sales the total is over 25k units; very impressive consider it is January

GM should do this... It is the "Cobalt wagon" afterall. Hell, Toyota gets away with combining/fudging the number for two seperate names (Corolla/Matrix----Toyota/Scion) Of course, I'm sure as soon as GM does it the "media watch dogs" will be all over them.

- Equinox apparantly could use a refresh.

Could there be a correlation with this----and this:

I didn't expect the Torrent to almost hit 3k sales, much less in January.

????????

It's sad to see Equinox sales cooling off, but honestly, the Torrent is better, has received A LOT more air play and if I were in the market I'd be hard pressed not to buy it instead.... But I agree, GM needs to stay on top of this niche, the Eq needs a better powertrain and more refinement.

The new Buick cars seem to be doing well.... In fact, of the other 3 divisions that aren't up 2 (Buick and Chevrolet) are roughly flat. GMC is probably down so much because of Yukon and Yukon XL ramp up.

Cobalt up 140.5% (No doubt because last january was ramp up... But still.

The new Impala seems to be doing a little better... Wonder how much of the new cars sales are fleet? Hopefully not as much as the old car. Of course, Chevrolet forcasted the new model to be roughly flat compared to the old model.

Malibu up 28% How much is fleet? Monte Carlo up 10%.... Not bad

Why weren't any of the Chevrolet figures highlighted?

G6 up 273% (No doubt due to ramp up last year) Still, it's looking like a hit... Just proves that GM did a $h!ty job of launching the car by launching one version per year and by saturating the market with HIGH priced models first. Hopefully, it can overcome the stigma created by the bad press...

And just think, G6 sales are in for another boost when the convertible launches in the spring.

Pontiac in general is up HUGE! 55.8%

The 9-2X is a flop and the 9-5 remodel doesn't seem to be helping much... Of course, I've only seen one so far on a dealers lot. So it might still be ramping up.

The Escalade is bringing Caddy down... No doubt because of the change over. SRX down

Jesus, the Colorado and Eq both tanked!

Trailblazer up 24%!!!

Terazza up 69.5% (Big compared to the other U-bodies)

[cmattson]

How many of those Grand Prixs went to fleets? I'd guess 70% +

Why? Grand Prix fleet sales appeared to be at 16.x% last year. That would seem to be a ridiculously high jump.. The Grand Prix had about 11,000 units sold in Jan. Assuming that you are correct, that would be roughly 7,700 fleet sales for January alone -- or 92,400 annually. For perspective, the Grand Prix had 28,800 units in fleet sales for the entire year.

This is (of course) based on stats from (does anybody know of any better stats?) -- page 3 has the Grand Prix:

http://www.fleet-central.com/af/t_pop_pdf....05/cars_web.pdf

Edited February 2, 2006 by cmattson

[bobo]

Interesting that sales were up to the extent that they were. Maybe people were receptive to the decreases in MSRP, even though transaction prices probably didn't change all that much with the lower rebates and dealer certificates.

The Colorado's drop of 50% is pretty brutal, but there's plenty of more capable players in the small truck market now.

[turbo200]

Why?  Grand Prix fleet sales appeared to be at 16.x% last year.  That would seem to be a ridiculously high jump..  The Grand Prix had about 11,000 units sold in Jan.  Assuming that you are correct, that would be roughly 7,700 fleet sales for January alone -- or 92,400 annually.  For perspective, the Grand Prix had 28,800 units in fleet sales for the entire year.

This is (of course) based on stats from (does anybody know of any better stats?) -- page 3 has the Grand Prix:

http://www.fleet-central.com/af/t_pop_pdf....05/cars_web.pdf

You're looking at the wrong car. according to that list, Grand Prix had 52% fleet sales. GM itself admitted in another press release today that sales for this month were artificially increased by a surge in fleet sales......hence the logic in Cspec's 70% guess.

[turbo200]

Well HOT DAMN!!!!!

Looks like the analysts can shove the down 10% up their collective.....

5 of 8 divisions up isn't bad!!! And just think, one is a "damaged" division, two of the other Kerkorian wants to axe and one has been deprived of product for 10 years.

Gas prices what?!?!?!?!

FOG, your genuine GM enthusiasm took these figures too far. GM has said that there was an increase in fleet sales for the month of January. Don't say something now that will make you eat crow later. It's cool to be enthusiastic about this bit of positive news, but this year there is a long road ahead towards GM getting back on stable grounds. I believe we're at the beginning of "Return of the King" trilogy at this point in GM's current situation....

[CaddyXLR-V]

To me, it looks like GM just had a very bad January in 05.

[Chicagoland]

Well, the analysts were wrong, wrong, wrong in their 'gloom' predictions for Jan 06. They would be fired if they had real jobs.

HHR was called "late to the party". Well, the 'party' is still going on and stronger than ever. HHR and PT Cruiser show no signs of a "fad" as some 'car experts' said. Another 'educated prediction' shot to smithereens. Who pays these people??????

And those that were worried the LeSabre name going away would be a mistake, look at the Lucerne sales. It was time for the 'Great Grandad of car names' to retire. Same for the Century/Regal.

[regfootball]

The huge 9-3 increase is weird as well.  I do not have a problem with it, just where the hell have all the Saabers been?

the linear got a hp boost and more std features

torrent- a great argument for badge engineering? would you want to deny those pontiac dealers those sales?

lucerne- off to a good start i think.

the H3 is really kicking ass.

Edited February 2, 2006 by regfootball

[turbo200]

the linear got a hp boost and more std features

torrent- a great argument for badge engineering?  would you want to deny those pontiac dealers those sales?

lucerne- off to a good start i think.

the H3 is really kicking ass.

torrent could have been done much much better......as is being shown with the latest GM DAT concepts on Theta. Torrent could have been more thoroughly designed and creative in so many ways......badge engineering at its worst...Torrent could have been an entrant to set that segment on fire, instead there isn't even much of a reason to review one in the car mags...it's the same as last year's Eck.

[balthazar]

Torrent could have been an entrant to set that segment on fire, instead there isn't even much of a reason to review one in the car mags...it's the same as last year's Eck.

And when a single car mag reviews the same make/ model BMW 3 times in 1 year, the reason is what again??

The major auto rags don't review Pontiacs as a rule, tho ocassionally they do slip up.

[pow]

torrent- a great argument for badge engineering?  would you want to deny those pontiac dealers those sales?

Well, it's not like Enterprise visits the local dealership to buy cars.

[Newbiewar]

How many of those Grand Prixs went to fleets? I'd guess 70% +

remember... 1/3 of all grand prix are GXP... that means people are loving those V8's... and fleet sure isnt going to be purchasing any V8's...

the Grand Prix, is a nice car, very nice when its fully loaded... and all the pontiac advertising is getting people to the dealership to notice the GP...

[ZL-1]

2 questions:

What's the retail/fleet mix?

How did each of those segments contribute to the sales growth?

[SimonDavid]

Interesting month

The Rendezvous is almost outselling the Uplander

The HHR is 50% of Cobalt volume

and H3 is getting close to the Colorado

Tahoe is off to a good start

It just shows that interesting cars sell - I hope it augers well for the Enclave

But Cadillac's Sigmas are getting stale - they need new models, need to keep up the momentum

Another question - how much money did GM make? Anyone can sell at a loss

[ponchoman49]

2005 was just a bad year for GM. It started out with bad news, and things snowballed from there. Perhaps, if they can keep the bad news from pilling up, 2006 will be brighter.

2005 was just a bad year in general. Add to that GM still had many of there 8-9 y/o products still out like the Century, LeSabre/Park Ave, old style minivans, Astro, old gen Impala and Monte from 2000, Cavaliers/Sunfires from model year 1995 etc. How could they possibly have a good year with so much outdated product, astronomical gas prices, changing attitudes with Detroit, massive rebates etc. Ironically 2005 was personally one of the worst years for me too jobwise and financially. Lets hope 2006 gets better.

[ponchoman49]

Well HOT DAMN!!!!!

Looks like the analysts can shove the down 10% up their collective.....

5 of 8 divisions up isn't bad!!! And just think, one is a "damaged" division, two of the other Kerkorian wants to axe and one has been deprived of product for 10 years.

Gas prices what?!?!?!?!

I'm sure the decidedly green media will continue the SUV death march though... But how sweet it is to see all these "GM is stupid for introducing the HHR" and "GM is stupid for introducing large SUVs" crowds eat crow (at least this month)

This is one of the new sweet spots in the market... GM needs to react quickly!

NICE!

So much for that article a few weeks ago about Cadillac losing it's momentum... I'm glad to see the DTS doing well, at first I thought it to be a little weak.

Just more of the same negativity and FORMULATED FACTS.... I'm sure they'll downplay the hell out of the GM sales increase though... They're hellbent on seeing GM slide to number 2 and then shrivel up and die afterall.

GM should do this... It is the "Cobalt wagon" afterall. Hell, Toyota gets away with combining/fudging the number for two seperate names (Corolla/Matrix----Toyota/Scion) Of course, I'm sure as soon as GM does it the "media watch dogs" will be all over them.

Could there be a correlation with this----and this:

????????

It's sad to see Equinox sales cooling off, but honestly, the Torrent is better, has received A LOT more air play and if I were in the market I'd be hard pressed not to buy it instead.... But I agree, GM needs to stay on top of this niche, the Eq needs a better powertrain and more refinement.

The new Buick cars seem to be doing well.... In fact, of the other 3 divisions that aren't up 2 (Buick and Chevrolet) are roughly flat. GMC is probably down so much because of Yukon and Yukon XL ramp up.

Cobalt up 140.5% (No doubt because last january was ramp up... But still.

The new Impala seems to be doing a little better... Wonder how much of the new cars sales are fleet? Hopefully not as much as the old car. Of course, Chevrolet forcasted the new model to be roughly flat compared to the old model.

Malibu up 28% How much is fleet? Monte Carlo up 10%.... Not bad

Why weren't any of the Chevrolet figures highlighted?

G6 up 273% (No doubt due to ramp up last year) Still, it's looking like a hit... Just proves that GM did a $h!ty job of launching the car by launching one version per year and by saturating the market with HIGH priced models first. Hopefully, it can overcome the stigma created by the bad press...

And just think, G6 sales are in for another boost when the convertible launches in the spring.

Pontiac in general is up HUGE! 55.8%

The 9-2X is a flop and the 9-5 remodel doesn't seem to be helping much... Of course, I've only seen one so far on a dealers lot. So it might still be ramping up.

The Escalade is bringing Caddy down... No doubt because of the change over. SRX down

Jesus, the Colorado and Eq both tanked!

Trailblazer up 24%!!!

Terazza up 69.5% (Big compared to the other U-bodies)

Quote: Jesus, the Colorado and Eq both tanked!

The reason I hear from local dealers for this has to do with there crappy interiors, poor towing and weird 5 cylinder engine in the Colorado, lackluster mileage on the Equinox AWD, 18/23 is very low indeed considering a new Tahoe is supposed to do slightly over 20, outdated engine in the Equinox etc. These are all complaints that shoppers have voiced when cross shopping these products and I agree with all of them. The TB's recent success is puzzling considering it's older than either of these 2 models.

[corvettekidc6]

This is after the news this morning had analysts predicting GM sales down and Toyota sales up.  Dickheads.

I agree, they are dickheads

[corvettekidc6]

Look at the sales figures and how much better the damaged brands like Pontiac and Buick are doing like the G6 is up 273 and the Terraza is up 69.5. And even some of the other Chevy models that the press says is not doing good like the Trail Blazer. Car and Driver tested the SS and the Grand Cherokee SRT8 and the SS won because of it's capabilities like the SRT8 has dual exaust in the center where the hitch would go . And the SRT8 can only tow 3000 lbs, while the SS can tow like 6,700 lbs. Now why would the press say that when they have been tested and beat the competiton. That's bull$h!. And then the new expedition getting buffed up again when it just was last year. I mean, GM has been working on it's cars long and hard fo the past 6 months and look what they got by doing their homework.

[I hope GMRULES again]

Well at least we're off to a decent start. Like someone mentioned GM needs to string together a few months in a row of increses and they don't have to big they just have to be up over last year so they can build some momentum. I think the lower priced 4 cyl model is helping the G6 more than the coupe. At the Detroit show I talked to a women who was answering questions at the G6 display who worked at the G6 plant and she told me they were building about 75% sedans, 25% coupes. let's hope the coupe picks up steam when more people see it on the road. Malibu sales were up but don't forget last year the Classic still sold 8k units and the Malibu's increase didn't pick up all of those sales. it will be interesting to see if the Equinox drops off as the Torrent gains. Pray for a 3.9 engine option for for both in 07 for the people who actually care what the motor is in their vehicle and leave the Wal Mart engine for the Soccer Moms.

[cmattson]

You're looking at the wrong car. according to that list, Grand Prix had 52% fleet sales. GM itself admitted in another press release today that sales for this month were artificially increased by a surge in fleet sales......hence the logic in Cspec's 70% guess.

My bad.. I had my eyes dialated this morning .. man this sucks..

Edited February 2, 2006 by cmattson

[turbo200]

my sentiment is that as long as positive increases can be maintained, I hope less through fleet sales and more through retail sales, then GM's outlook will at least improve.

[The O.C.]

I don't mean to rain on the parade, but the numbers have been helped by unusually high sales to fleets for Jan....

Doesn't change some of the positives, but it tempers my optimism a little.

Agreed.....I saw a report somewhere....and even GM admitted that heavy fleet sales helped to bolster their numbers in January.

Apparently retail sales were down......

[ocnblu]

I still like my truck, but agree it is time for a refresh. A new front end, interior, and the 3.7L 5 should be enough.

I think Trailblazer is doing well at the expense of the Explorer. The TB has a slight exterior update this year on LT models (grille and bumpers), it's got the SS version, plus a little bit of brightwork to spark up the unfortunate interior. Even with those minor changes, it's been enough to make people choose it over the "all new" Explorer.

Chevrolet needs to advertise the updated Monte Carlo, especially the SS version. Has anyone seen print ads for it? They shouldn't give up on it.

Pontiac seems to be doing ok. They need a new flagship sedan, like now, and a new GTO to share in the momentum going for the Mustang, and huge response to Camaro and Challenger concepts. The G6 coupes need to be parked on the front row, they're sweet looking. There is a void at the bottom of the lineup... why not bring a "G5" out until the small RWD 4 seaters are available? They'd sell, but they need their own interior, and the 2.4L as standard.

[gmcbob]

Even if you took all 85k fleet cars out of the picture, the retail sales at GM would still be about 30% more than that of the largest Asian brand, Toyota. And I would guesstimate that of the 160k cars that Toyota sold, probably 15% of those were fleet, so you really have to think about it like this: on just retail sales alone, GM was still 75k units ahead of Toyota (based on my guesstimate, I have no idea what Toyota fleet sales are).

What's impressive about Toyota however, is their unrelenting growth. I haven't really bothered to look into it, but I'd be willing to bet that the gap was a lot bigger 10 years ago.