Tag: GM

GM Sales Up 7% in United States for February

wheels-malibu-blog480

By: Nick Saporito

 

http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f70/gm-u-s-sales-rise-7-february-116694/

 

 

General Motors announced sales increased 7.2-percent last month in the United States. All four of the company’s core brands saw overall and retail sales increases compared to last year, driven by sales of the company’s crossovers.

The Buick brand saw another month of strong gains, the tenth consecutive month the brand has seen year of year sales increase. In February Buick’s gains were driven by Enclave’s best-ever February, high Verano sales and the ramp-up of the all-new Encore.

Cadillac also saw substantial gains last month, with the brand’s retail sales up 12.5-percent. Cadillac’s gains were driven primarily by a continued increase in ATS sales and a slight uptick in XTS sales.

Chevrolet sales increased 4.9-percent overall, with a modest 4.1-percent increase in strictly retail sales. Their increase appears to have been driven by full-size trucks (likely due to big sales as part of the brand’s “Truck Month” promotion last month) and upticks in the Equinox, Cruze and Spark. In fact, the Spark had its best-ever month, selling over 2,800 units.

GMC sales were up 9.8-percent overall, with an impressive 13.5-percent increase in retail sales. GMC’s gains were propelled by strong sales of the all-new 2013 Acadia and Terrain crossovers.

YTD GM Sales:

JANUARY FEBRUARY YTD TOTAL
. Enclave 4,895 5,241 10,136
. Encore 353 1,597 1,950
. LaCrosse 3,548 3,667 7,215
. Lucerne 2 0 2
. Regal 1,005 1,474 2,479
. Verano 3,660 4,171 7,831
. Buick Total 13,463 16,150 29,613
. ATS 2,781 3,382 6,163
. CTS 2,505 2,566 5,071
. DTS 3 0 3
. Escalade 857 846 1,703
. Escalade ESV 518 582 1,100
. Escalade EXT 172 191 363
. SRX 4,380 4,108 8,488
. STS 0 1 1
. XTS 1,900 2,169 4,069
. Cadillac Total 13,116 13,845 26,961
. Avalanche 1,939 2,263 4,202
. Aveo 0 0 0
. Camaro 4,925 6,171 11,096
. Caprice 237 201 438
. Captiva Sport 3,936 3,867 7,803
. Cobalt 0 0 0
. Colorado 822 828 1,650
. Corvette 908 980 1,888
. Cruze 14,524 17,947 32,471
. Equinox 17,223 20,649 37,872
. Express 3,962 5,504 9,466
. HHR 1 1 2
. Impala 14,153 15,424 29,577
. Malibu 15,823 14,817 30,640
. Silverado-C/K Pickup 35,445 41,643 77,088
. Sonic 7,177 6,025 13,202
. Spark 2,408 2,836 5,244
. Suburban (Chevy) 2,292 3,745 6,037
. Tahoe 3,619 5,316 8,935
. Traverse 6,770 8,698 15,468
. Volt 1,140 1,626 2,766
. Chevrolet Total 137,304 158,541 295,845
. Acadia 5,188 6,628 11,816
. Canyon 302 180 482
. Savana 1,044 886 1,930
. Sierra 12,846 14,133 26,979
. Terrain 8,550 9,802 18,352
. Yukon 1,690 2,572 4,262
. Yukon XL 1,196 1,577 2,773
. GMC Total 30,816 35,778 66,594
. GM Vehicle Total 194,699 224,314 419,013

GM to launch Chevy Spark

By Roland Jones

General Motors plans to introduce an electric version of the Chevrolet Spark in the U.S.

The electric minicar will go on sale in limited quantities in select U.S. and global markets starting in 2013, including California, the automaker said. GM made the announcement during a media event celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Chevy brand.

“The Spark EV offers customers living in urban areas who have predictable driving patterns or short commutes an all-electric option,” Jim Federico, global vehicle chief engineer for electric vehicles at Chevrolet, said in a statement. “It complements Chevrolet’s growing range of electrified vehicles, including the Volt extended-range EV and the 2013 Malibu Eco with eAssist technology.”

The Spark announcement follows news in August that GM will build a Cadillac ELR luxury electric car as the automaker, which also produces the plug-in electric hybrid Chevy Volt, looks to burnish its green credentials.

So far this year sales of the Volt have lagged. GM aimed to sell 10,000 Volts in 2011, but only 3,895 models have been sold to date, according to CNBC. Still, GM’s Joel Ewanick told CNBC Wednesday that the automaker still plans to sell 45,000 cars in 2013.

“We know the demand is there; we know the customers want this car,” he said.

Electric cars have been slow to catch on in the U.S., according to Reuters:

“In the U.S. market, demand has been held back by the lack of models to choose from, skimpy infrastructure for charging the vehicles, high sticker prices, and low gasoline prices compared with other industrialized nations.”

Read More:http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/12/8286607-gm-to-launch-electric-chevy-spark

Or visit the official page: http://www.chevrolet.com/spark-mini-car/?seo=goo_|_2012_Chevy_Awareness_|_IMG_Chevy_Spark_Awareness_|_Spark_Awareness_|_chevy_spark&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Awareness-Chevy-IMG_Chevy_Spark_Awareness&utm_content=Search&utm_term=chevy_spark

 

 

Automakers gearing up for a Super Bowl spending spree

By Dan Carney

There was angst in some quarters last weekend when the New York Giants defeated the Green Bay Packers, ensuring that the reigning Super Bowl champions won’t be returning this year.

I don’t know what show Packers fans saw last year, but what most of us clearly remember is Volkswagen dealing its competitors a stunning blow with their “The Force” commercial featuring a pint-sized Darth Vader. And VW will most assuredly return to this year’s extravaganza.

Super Bowl commercials cost advertisers $3.5 million for 30 seconds of air time this year, according to industry trade publication AdWeek, and some of the epic car commercials will run 60 seconds. The contenders take the field against one another in pursuit of the glory that comes with victory before an expected viewing audience of 110 million.

VW heads a roster of car companies advertising during the big game, including Chrysler, whose incredible “Imported From Detroit” commercial with Eminem would have otherwise been the big winner, and Audi, whose“Green Police” spot was among the top 2010 spots from the game.

The champs from VW are confident in their new 60-second spot.

“Last year’s Super Bowl campaign was an overwhelming success for the brand,” noted Brian Thomas, VW’s General Manager of Brand Marketing. “We see this year’s Super Bowl as a great way to continue this success.”

Among the automakers hoping for a breakout performance this year are Chevrolet (and probably also Cadillac from GM), Honda, Acura, Hyundai, Kia, Lexus and Toyota. Any one of these companies would hope for a “The Force”-like victory.

GM is pulling out the stops to ensure it has this year’s talked-about commercial. The automaker has put together five spots this year, and it hasn’t even decided which five it will run, according to spokesman Pat Morrissey. Here’s hoping the company will steer clear of the sappy commercials it has tended to run in the past with its “Chevy Runs Deep” tagline.

Four of the commercials were created by GM’s ad agency, but the fifth will be crowdsourced from among more than 200 entries by amateur filmmakers. We can preview those spots at this website.

Volkswagen unleashed “The Force” online days before the game last year, so keep an eye out for a preview of that company’s spot.

Chevrolet introduced its Cruz compact car to the public with last year’s commercial — a model that contributed to Chevy reclaiming its spot as the top-selling car brand in the U.S. last year, said Morrissey.

Audi has advertised in the Super Bowl for five years, and over that time the company has achieved record sales, record brand strength and higher transaction prices, according to Scott Keogh, Audi’s chief marketing officer. Audi returns this year with a 60-second spot that highlights the LED headlights on the upcoming S7 model.

“The Super Bowl is unique in modern American advertising,” observed Steve Shannon, vice president of marketing for Hyundai. “It provides a huge audience and one that actually likes to watch the ads,” he said. “What could be better?”

Hyundai’s sister brand Kia will use supermodel Adriana Lima, rock legends Motley Crue and former UFC champion Chuck Liddell in their spot this year, said Michael Sprague, vice president of marketing and communications for Kia.

“After last year’s game, online search activity for the Optima increased 700 percent while online consideration increased 255 percent, so we know it’s the marketing event of the year in terms of reaching a mass audience and capturing their attention,” Spraugue said.

It is that ongoing interaction with potential buyers that sets Super Bowl advertising apart from other commercials, explained Keogh.

“With Audi in the Super Bowl you get these secondary and tertiary benefits,” he said. “Afterward, we got two billion (web) impressions. Now with social media like Facebook and YouTube, you get a massive multiplier there. If we run this very same ad on CNBC in March, you will never get all that.”

Read more: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/18/10182907-automakers-gearing-up-for-a-super-bowl-spending-spree