General Motors dealers sold 171,486 vehicles in the United States in January 2014, representing a 12 percent decline on an annual basis. Retail sales were down 10 percent and fleet deliveries slid 18 percent due to “a planned reduction in rental vehicle sales.”
“We are building long-term value for our customers and it starts with award-winning new products,” said Kurt McNeil, U.S. vice president of Sales Operations. “We have major launches underway and we are going to accelerate brand-building and other growth initiatives, which include executing our winning strategy to sell more pickup trucks with larger cabs, more features and advanced technology.”
The General notes that sales throughout the month were impacted by extreme winter weather in the South, Midwest, and Northeast. That said, the seasonally-adjusted annual selling rate (SAAR) for light vehicles is expected to be an estimated 15.3 million units, down from 15.6 million in December.
All four GM brands in the U.S., including Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC experienced a decline in sales
The Chevrolet Cruze and Cadillac SRX had their highest-ever January sales
Retail sales of Chevrolet cars were up 8 percent led by gains for the Sonic, Malibu, Impala and Corvette
Retail deliveries of the Buick Regal and Encore were also up
Deliveries to commercial fleet customers, which are about 24 percent of total fleet sales, were up 17 percent. GM’s commercial fleet business has now posted sales increases in each of the last three months
The all-new 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, and the GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, began shipping to dealers in late January
Chevrolet swept the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards with the Silverado and the Corvette Stingray
January 2014 - USA - Chevrolet
MODEL
YOY MONTHLY CHANGE
2014
2013
YOY YTD CHANGE
YTD 2014
YTD 2013
CHEVROLET TOTAL
-13.27
119,089
137,304
-13.27
119,089
137,304
AVALANCHE
-98.4
31
1,939
-98.4
31
1,939
CAMARO
-3.9
4,733
4,925
-3.9
4,733
4,925
CAPRICE
-15.61
200
237
-15.61
200
237
CAPTIVA SPORT
-4.34
3,765
3,936
-4.34
3,765
3,936
COLORADO
-98.3
14
822
-98.3
14
822
CORVETTE
+149.01
2,261
908
+149.01
2,261
908
CRUZE
+15.86
16,828
14,524
+15.86
16,828
14,524
EQUINOX
-15.54
14,547
17,223
-15.54
14,547
17,223
EXPRESS
-1.77
3,892
3,962
-1.77
3,892
3,962
IMPALA
-15.93
11,898
14,153
-15.93
11,898
14,153
MALIBU
-25.29
11,822
15,823
-25.29
11,822
15,823
SILVERADO
-18.39
28,926
35,445
-18.39
28,926
35,445
SONIC
-8.22
6,587
7,177
-8.22
6,587
7,177
SPARK
-23.26
1,848
2,408
-23.26
1,848
2,408
SUBURBAN
-25.61
1,705
2,292
-25.61
1,705
2,292
SS
*
232
0
*
232
0
TAHOE
-2.9
3,514
3,619
-2.9
3,514
3,619
TRAVERSE
-20.71
5,368
6,770
-20.71
5,368
6,770
VOLT
-19.47
918
1,140
-19.47
918
1,140
January 2014 - USA - Buick
MODEL
YOY MONTHLY CHANGE
2014
2013
YTD % CHG
YTD 2014
YTD 2013
BUICK TOTAL
-1.37
13,278
13,463
-1.37
13,278
13,463
ENCLAVE
-28.31
3,509
4,895
-28.31
3,509
4,895
ENCORE
+570.25
2,366
353
+570.25
2,366
353
LACROSSE
-19.7
2,849
3,548
-19.7
2,849
3,548
REGAL
+42.69
1,434
1,005
+42.69
1,434
1,005
VERANO
-14.75
3,120
3,660
-14.75
3,120
3,660
January 2014 - USA - GMC
MODEL
YOY MONTHLY CHANGE
2014
2013
YTD % CHG
YTD 2014
YTD 2013
GMC TOTAL
-10
27,733
30,816
-10
27,733
30,816
ACADIA
+5.3
5,463
5,188
+5.3
5,463
5,188
CANYON
-99.67
1
302
-99.67
1
302
SAVANA
+85.44
1,936
1,044
+85.44
1,936
1,044
SIERRA
-13.45
11,118
12,846
-13.45
11,118
12,846
TERRAIN
-17.39
7,063
8,550
-17.39
7,063
8,550
YUKON
-23.85
1,287
1,690
-23.85
1,287
1,690
YUKON XL
-27.68
865
1,196
-27.68
865
1,196
January 2014 - USA - Cadillac
MODEL
YOY MONTHLY CHANGE
2014
2013
YTD % CHG
YTD 2014
YTD 2013
CADILLAC TOTAL
-13.19
11,386
13,116
-13.19
11,386
13,116
ATS
-31.36
1,909
2,781
-31.36
1,909
2,781
CTS
-10.9
2,232
2,505
-10.9
2,232
2,505
ELR
*
41
0
*
41
0
ESCALADE
-17.85
704
857
-17.85
704
857
ESCALADE ESV
-26.45
381
518
-26.45
381
518
ESCALADE EXT
-85.47
25
172
-85.47
25
172
SRX
+1.51
4,446
4,380
+1.51
4,446
4,380
XTS
-13.26
1,648
1,900
-13.26
1,648
1,900
January 2014 - USA - GM Total
BRAND
YOY MONTHLY CHANGE
2014
2013
YTD % CHG
YTD 2014
YTD 2013
GM US TOTAL
-11.92
171,486
194,699
-11.92
171,486
194,699
BUICK
-1.37
13,278
13,463
-1.37
13,278
13,463
CADILLAC
-13.19
11,386
13,116
-13.19
11,386
13,116
CHEVROLET
-13.27
119,089
137,304
-13.27
119,089
137,304
GMC
-10
27,733
30,816
-10
27,733
30,816
Some Notes About The Charts
25 selling days for January 2014 and 25 for January 2013.
Totals contain discontinued models, including Buick Lucerne, Cadillac DTS, and Chevrolet HHR.
January 2013: Sales are slow, GM sells 35k Silverados on a seven year old design.
January 2014: The bottom falls out, GM sells 7000 FEWER Silverados, a brand new model, when compared to the poorly selling 2013 model!
This is more than a hint; they need to do something. The customer has spoken. The competition has a better product even at the beginning of the new GM trucks’ lifecycle!
We all know there will always be a need for the ubiquitous small block, but give us something new under the hood as an option. A diesel, something turbocharged. SOMETHING. Not maybe, five years from now, but by the 2015 model year. This non action is mind boggling. This is their most important product! Even C&D in their new issue is making fun of the “new” 4.3 V6; it’s unrefined nature, 90 V angle that belongs on a V8, and the difficulty in telling it apart from the OLD 4.3.
According to what I read Silverado & Sierra combined were off about 17% vs Jan. 2013. OK, so there was bad weather in some core markets? How does anyone explain the fact that Ram pick-ups were up 22%? I guess the standard “they had bigger incentives” excuse will be used for that one.
Actually LFX and Magirus, last year GM had over $8,500 rebate plus $1000 loyalty totalling $9500 plus dealer discount off a new 2013 Silverado/Sierra, comparable with what Ford and Ram were doing. In January 2014, GM has a $3500 rebate and a $1000 loyalty totaling $4500 plus dealer discount. Right now Ford and Ram have a ton of 2013’s they are clearing out and still have up to $15,000 off their trucks (between rebates and dealer discount). I don’t expect a 2014 Silverado/Sierra to compete price wise with a 2013 from Ram or Ford when there is a $7-8000 difference in pricing. Let’s see how the numbers compare when the Ram and Ford have nothing to sell but their 2014’s (of course Ram and Ford will continue to have a boatload of rebates to sell their older model trucks).
The Ram is a very nice truck (too bad a buyer has to opt for the $1500 air bag suspension in order to match the towing/cargo capacity of the Silverado). It rides very well and has nice interior. But I still have 2 customers already contemplating a change back to Chevy with the new Silverado because when they are towing their 8000 lbs trailers they are still getting way too much rear waggle with the coil over spring rear suspension on their Rams (even with trailer sway control). They feel like it’s the tail wagging the dog. Plus their Hemi’s are still the thirstiest of the bunch.
Magirus, does it make sense to have an entire new truck, entire new engines, entire new technology all in one year, or do what Ford and Ram have been doing: New body one year, interior a year later, engines a couple years after that, etc in order to keep offering new things each year?
I have no doubt GM will have some updates for this truck in year 2 and then again each year after. If they rolled out the perfect truck (diesel or turbo V6, 8-speeds, etc), you’d be complaining 3 years from now when they have the same truck with no changes. GM will never do anything right in your eyes; that is pretty clear.
LFX, you were right, the incentives excuse was used, see dpach. It is actually valid, you can get a Diesel F250 for about the same amount as GM wants for a basic half ton with the 4.3 joke.
dpach, it’s not just me, it’s also everyone else. Competitor’s sales were up, but not the General’s, the only one with a new design.
They had seven years (and billions from tax payers) to build something impressive, and instead they came up with something that looks OLD from the outside AND under the hood.
To answer your question, yes, I expected a diesel or a new tranny, or something that competes with Ecoboost. Why? The trucks that are actually selling already have these features. It is what the customers want.
But why take my word for it, just look at the sales numbers.
Many people simply become “conditioned” to big incentives on this type of vehicle. They just wait until there is 0% financing and/or a bigger rebate before they make a move? The exception to this is when you offer something new that they simply have to have right now? Make them feel like “I gotta’ be the first one to have one of those…..regardless of price” Unfortunately for GM, the super conservative new pick-ups simply don’t have much of a “wow” or “gotta’ have it now” factor.
How about a front suspension that isn’t absolute garbage? How about a full sliding rear window? How about electronic full locking differential? How about scrapping the 10bolt rear axle all together? I won’t buy a truck with one. How about a front bumper that is not trying its best to scrape the ground? How about increased ride height for all 4×4 models?
Implement these and I will consider. GM in many ways does not know what the customer wants, or is not capable of delivering.
Ok lets clean up some of the BS that is going on here.
These numbers are bases vs. January 2012 and you need to consider what happen last year.
Lets start with the facts.
Last year in January GM sales were up 32% at Chevy and 35% ar GNC.
Chevy sold 35,445 trucks in January
GMC sold 12,846
Ram sold 20,474
GM had great incentives last year and had record gains over 2012 in 2013. These numbers were not going to be sustained unless you has similar discounts as last year and other makes. Even at that GM still sold approx. twice as many trucks as Ram.
Also keep in mind the Ram trucks were up 24% as a whole but if you split the segments the Ram 1500 only sold 17% better as the HD trucks went up 35% with the new model. GM has just intro’d the new HD truck so they had little support there.
GM is not going to discount the trucks as they are looking to stop the trend as they have to sell a Colorado under the Full Size truck, It keeps the resale value up for the full size owner and Ford is going to raise their prices a little more than people think with the new F150 next year so this will give GM a big advantage.
Yes there are some things GM could and should do with the trucks but in the long run they will remain strong in sales and profits and will help fund many of the new cars we will see. Note Chevy cars are up sales wise 8% and that is a more important sign as trucks have always sold but the cars were always a problem for them. This include even the old Cruze that is do to be replaced.
The reality is you need to really study the numbers here as too often people do not really comprehend what they really mean.
When you have a really good year the odds are you will have a down year the next year especially when it was based on fire sale prices.
As for Chrysler it is easy for them to have a big jump as they often have a lot of down months too.
GM will do fine and while they may not set records in sales they will have a lot more profit out of the trucks this year. And if you do not make a profit then why sell vehicles anyways. You can carry on about market share and all sorts of other numbers but profits are number one and the rest is built on their foundation.
The truck we have now will be replaced in about 2017-18 as there are going to be a lot of major changes coming for trucks. A lot is riding on the Colorado to help pick up for the larger trucks as the V8 models will be more and more expensive to limit their sales and keep profits coming. The smaller trucks will pick up some of this or at least that is what they hope.
The Ford Aluminum issue is not going to be easy as the higher cost to buy and Insurance is real. Repair cost is a major issue for fleet sales too as this is where Ford sells a lot of trucks cheap now. GM is going to be within around 250 pounds of the Ford and that is not a lot of difference for the price that will have to be paid for these vehicles. The 700 pounds is based on what the Ford weighs in now and not what it is vs. GM. Note Ford brags about losing weight but they have not shared any curb weights. There is a reason for that.
Ram has improved but in this segment loyalty is tough to break and no matter what they so it would take years for them to gain much ground on GM and Ford. They are going to be best at picking up Toyota owners.
Weather also has played into this as I have even seen it in my work too. People are just not going out to spend much money with the weather being below Zero and where roads are iced over for days.
Hopefully these sales figures will go up. I have been seeing more and more Malibu’s and Silverado’s around town!
As for the trucks, there will no doubt be a refresh in a couple of years. Expect new engine options, a new transmission and the HD’s to go on the new K2XX platform.
I am hoping for:
(VVT, SIDI, AFM and iVVL)
2.8L Twincharged V6 with 355HP and 380FT-LBS (1500)
3.2L TDI V6 with 290HP and 450FT-LBS (1500)
5.3L V8 with 365HP and 390FT-LBS (1500)
6.2L V8 with 430HP and 470FT-LBS (1500 or HD’s)
6.6L TDI V8 with 400HP and 770FT-LBS (HD’s)
This doesn’t bode well for GM. Yes, they have the most award-winning lineup in their history, but it means nothing if it doesn’t translate into profit! It’s not about having the best selling moniker, it’s about PROFIT!!! GM has been losing market share which is vital to sustaining investors.
It has to be pricing inflation among the main reasons GM is not hitting these critical financial results. This has to change…..
Jamal that is just it they are making more profits per vehicle. They also are trying to pare fleet sales and incentives too as these drop profitability and resale values.
But like I said many of you need to really look at the numbers and with as much as GM went up the last two years they are still well ahead of 2011.
GM went up 35% last year on trucks but you can not expect that each and every year. Now if they lose 18% for the year 2-3 years in a row this is an issue but 18% in a month that has the slowest sales is not a big worry. Even at that the other big players are down. VW as a whole is down 19% and even Ford, Honda Toyota were also down.
Now if GM was the only one that has major issues here and the others all showed gains then it would be a GM issues.
Chrysler sales have not been good as a whole so with a new truck line it is easy to lift up the company. We will see them spike a little more with the new 200 coming out soon too.
If you sell a record number of cars and see an increase of 24% and 35% it is easy to drop 18% in the middle of winter.
On the other hand like Maserati when you sell next to nothing it is easy to see a major gain.
We have just entered the auto show season and offers will be made and product will start moving this March as it always has.
The fact is you have to really read what the numbers mean and you have to include all the facts not just a couple. These numbers of increase and decline are posted monthly over the previous year and I really do not understand why the media makes such a big deal as these year to month numbers really do not mean much in the short term.
Comments
January 2013: Sales are slow, GM sells 35k Silverados on a seven year old design.
January 2014: The bottom falls out, GM sells 7000 FEWER Silverados, a brand new model, when compared to the poorly selling 2013 model!
This is more than a hint; they need to do something. The customer has spoken. The competition has a better product even at the beginning of the new GM trucks’ lifecycle!
We all know there will always be a need for the ubiquitous small block, but give us something new under the hood as an option. A diesel, something turbocharged. SOMETHING. Not maybe, five years from now, but by the 2015 model year. This non action is mind boggling. This is their most important product! Even C&D in their new issue is making fun of the “new” 4.3 V6; it’s unrefined nature, 90 V angle that belongs on a V8, and the difficulty in telling it apart from the OLD 4.3.
GM is becoming the brand of the AARP.
Has anyone seen the prices on a fully loaded LTZ Tahoe and Suburban? I was shocked at the price hike
According to what I read Silverado & Sierra combined were off about 17% vs Jan. 2013. OK, so there was bad weather in some core markets? How does anyone explain the fact that Ram pick-ups were up 22%? I guess the standard “they had bigger incentives” excuse will be used for that one.
Actually LFX and Magirus, last year GM had over $8,500 rebate plus $1000 loyalty totalling $9500 plus dealer discount off a new 2013 Silverado/Sierra, comparable with what Ford and Ram were doing. In January 2014, GM has a $3500 rebate and a $1000 loyalty totaling $4500 plus dealer discount. Right now Ford and Ram have a ton of 2013’s they are clearing out and still have up to $15,000 off their trucks (between rebates and dealer discount). I don’t expect a 2014 Silverado/Sierra to compete price wise with a 2013 from Ram or Ford when there is a $7-8000 difference in pricing. Let’s see how the numbers compare when the Ram and Ford have nothing to sell but their 2014’s (of course Ram and Ford will continue to have a boatload of rebates to sell their older model trucks).
The Ram is a very nice truck (too bad a buyer has to opt for the $1500 air bag suspension in order to match the towing/cargo capacity of the Silverado). It rides very well and has nice interior. But I still have 2 customers already contemplating a change back to Chevy with the new Silverado because when they are towing their 8000 lbs trailers they are still getting way too much rear waggle with the coil over spring rear suspension on their Rams (even with trailer sway control). They feel like it’s the tail wagging the dog. Plus their Hemi’s are still the thirstiest of the bunch.
Magirus, does it make sense to have an entire new truck, entire new engines, entire new technology all in one year, or do what Ford and Ram have been doing: New body one year, interior a year later, engines a couple years after that, etc in order to keep offering new things each year?
I have no doubt GM will have some updates for this truck in year 2 and then again each year after. If they rolled out the perfect truck (diesel or turbo V6, 8-speeds, etc), you’d be complaining 3 years from now when they have the same truck with no changes. GM will never do anything right in your eyes; that is pretty clear.
LFX, you were right, the incentives excuse was used, see dpach. It is actually valid, you can get a Diesel F250 for about the same amount as GM wants for a basic half ton with the 4.3 joke.
dpach, it’s not just me, it’s also everyone else. Competitor’s sales were up, but not the General’s, the only one with a new design.
They had seven years (and billions from tax payers) to build something impressive, and instead they came up with something that looks OLD from the outside AND under the hood.
To answer your question, yes, I expected a diesel or a new tranny, or something that competes with Ecoboost. Why? The trucks that are actually selling already have these features. It is what the customers want.
But why take my word for it, just look at the sales numbers.
Many people simply become “conditioned” to big incentives on this type of vehicle. They just wait until there is 0% financing and/or a bigger rebate before they make a move? The exception to this is when you offer something new that they simply have to have right now? Make them feel like “I gotta’ be the first one to have one of those…..regardless of price” Unfortunately for GM, the super conservative new pick-ups simply don’t have much of a “wow” or “gotta’ have it now” factor.
How about a front suspension that isn’t absolute garbage? How about a full sliding rear window? How about electronic full locking differential? How about scrapping the 10bolt rear axle all together? I won’t buy a truck with one. How about a front bumper that is not trying its best to scrape the ground? How about increased ride height for all 4×4 models?
Implement these and I will consider. GM in many ways does not know what the customer wants, or is not capable of delivering.
Ok lets clean up some of the BS that is going on here.
These numbers are bases vs. January 2012 and you need to consider what happen last year.
Lets start with the facts.
Last year in January GM sales were up 32% at Chevy and 35% ar GNC.
Chevy sold 35,445 trucks in January
GMC sold 12,846
Ram sold 20,474
GM had great incentives last year and had record gains over 2012 in 2013. These numbers were not going to be sustained unless you has similar discounts as last year and other makes. Even at that GM still sold approx. twice as many trucks as Ram.
Also keep in mind the Ram trucks were up 24% as a whole but if you split the segments the Ram 1500 only sold 17% better as the HD trucks went up 35% with the new model. GM has just intro’d the new HD truck so they had little support there.
GM is not going to discount the trucks as they are looking to stop the trend as they have to sell a Colorado under the Full Size truck, It keeps the resale value up for the full size owner and Ford is going to raise their prices a little more than people think with the new F150 next year so this will give GM a big advantage.
Yes there are some things GM could and should do with the trucks but in the long run they will remain strong in sales and profits and will help fund many of the new cars we will see. Note Chevy cars are up sales wise 8% and that is a more important sign as trucks have always sold but the cars were always a problem for them. This include even the old Cruze that is do to be replaced.
The reality is you need to really study the numbers here as too often people do not really comprehend what they really mean.
When you have a really good year the odds are you will have a down year the next year especially when it was based on fire sale prices.
As for Chrysler it is easy for them to have a big jump as they often have a lot of down months too.
GM will do fine and while they may not set records in sales they will have a lot more profit out of the trucks this year. And if you do not make a profit then why sell vehicles anyways. You can carry on about market share and all sorts of other numbers but profits are number one and the rest is built on their foundation.
The truck we have now will be replaced in about 2017-18 as there are going to be a lot of major changes coming for trucks. A lot is riding on the Colorado to help pick up for the larger trucks as the V8 models will be more and more expensive to limit their sales and keep profits coming. The smaller trucks will pick up some of this or at least that is what they hope.
The Ford Aluminum issue is not going to be easy as the higher cost to buy and Insurance is real. Repair cost is a major issue for fleet sales too as this is where Ford sells a lot of trucks cheap now. GM is going to be within around 250 pounds of the Ford and that is not a lot of difference for the price that will have to be paid for these vehicles. The 700 pounds is based on what the Ford weighs in now and not what it is vs. GM. Note Ford brags about losing weight but they have not shared any curb weights. There is a reason for that.
Ram has improved but in this segment loyalty is tough to break and no matter what they so it would take years for them to gain much ground on GM and Ford. They are going to be best at picking up Toyota owners.
Weather also has played into this as I have even seen it in my work too. People are just not going out to spend much money with the weather being below Zero and where roads are iced over for days.
Hopefully these sales figures will go up. I have been seeing more and more Malibu’s and Silverado’s around town!
As for the trucks, there will no doubt be a refresh in a couple of years. Expect new engine options, a new transmission and the HD’s to go on the new K2XX platform.
I am hoping for:
(VVT, SIDI, AFM and iVVL)
2.8L Twincharged V6 with 355HP and 380FT-LBS (1500)
3.2L TDI V6 with 290HP and 450FT-LBS (1500)
5.3L V8 with 365HP and 390FT-LBS (1500)
6.2L V8 with 430HP and 470FT-LBS (1500 or HD’s)
6.6L TDI V8 with 400HP and 770FT-LBS (HD’s)
This doesn’t bode well for GM. Yes, they have the most award-winning lineup in their history, but it means nothing if it doesn’t translate into profit! It’s not about having the best selling moniker, it’s about PROFIT!!! GM has been losing market share which is vital to sustaining investors.
It has to be pricing inflation among the main reasons GM is not hitting these critical financial results. This has to change…..
Jamal that is just it they are making more profits per vehicle. They also are trying to pare fleet sales and incentives too as these drop profitability and resale values.
But like I said many of you need to really look at the numbers and with as much as GM went up the last two years they are still well ahead of 2011.
GM went up 35% last year on trucks but you can not expect that each and every year. Now if they lose 18% for the year 2-3 years in a row this is an issue but 18% in a month that has the slowest sales is not a big worry. Even at that the other big players are down. VW as a whole is down 19% and even Ford, Honda Toyota were also down.
Now if GM was the only one that has major issues here and the others all showed gains then it would be a GM issues.
Chrysler sales have not been good as a whole so with a new truck line it is easy to lift up the company. We will see them spike a little more with the new 200 coming out soon too.
If you sell a record number of cars and see an increase of 24% and 35% it is easy to drop 18% in the middle of winter.
On the other hand like Maserati when you sell next to nothing it is easy to see a major gain.
We have just entered the auto show season and offers will be made and product will start moving this March as it always has.
The fact is you have to really read what the numbers mean and you have to include all the facts not just a couple. These numbers of increase and decline are posted monthly over the previous year and I really do not understand why the media makes such a big deal as these year to month numbers really do not mean much in the short term.