GM Russia sales totaled 3,795 new vehicles in December 2018, an increase of 5.4 percent compared to December 2017. The 3,795 sales were comprised of:
- 3,475 units of Chevrolet sales, an increase of 4.1 percent year-over-year, and
- 178 units of Cadillac sales, an increase of 43.5 percent year-over-year
Individual model sales performance is not reported by the AEB, an independent agency that reports sales figures for the Russian market.
The results are significantly below most rivals, including:
- VW group (Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda), which sold 21,968 units in December 2018
- Kia, which sold 18,081 units in December 2018
- Hyundai Group (Hyundai and Genesis), which sold 15,280 units in December 2018
- Toyota Group (Toyota and Lexus), which sold 14,747 units in December 2018
- Ford (Ford brand only, without Lincoln), which sold 5,746 units in December 2018
In the complete 2018 calendar year, GM Russia sales decreased 6.7 percent to 31,197 units.
Sales Results - December 2018 - Russia - GM Totals
| BRAND | DEC 2018 / DEC 2017 | DECEMBER 2018 | DECEMBER 2017 | YTD 2018 / YTD 2017 | YTD 2018 | YTD 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHEVROLET TOTAL | +4.09% | 3,617 | 3,475 | -6.39% | 30,021 | 32,071 |
| CADILLAC TOTAL | +43.55% | 178 | 124 | -13.85% | 1,176 | 1,365 |
| GM RUSSIA TOTAL | +5.45% | 3,795 | 3,599 | -6.70% | 31,197 | 33,436 |
For the sake of comparison, the Russian auto market expanded 5.6 percent to 175,240 units in December 2018 and 12.8 percent to 1,800,591 units during the complete 2018 calendar year.
The GM Authority Take
Since its concerted withdrawal from Russia’s mainstream vehicle segments, followed by a more complete withdrawal from Europe, GM sales have dwindled to very minuscule quantities in the region.
That circumstance continued in December 2018, as GM was outsold by key rivals including Volkswagen, Kia, Hyundai and Toyota – all of which have found ways to compete profitably in the Russian market. Meanwhile, GM continues to peddle an extremely limited lineup of near-luxury or full-luxury product in a market that favors economy cars and crossovers. GM’s current lineup in Russia is as follows:
Chevrolet
- Traverse
- Tahoe
- Camaro
- Corvette (Stingray, Grand Sport, Z06)
Cadillac
- CTS & CTS-V
- CT6
- XT5
- Escalade & Escalade ESV
About The Numbers
- All percent change figures compared to GM Russia sales in December 2017, except if noted
Comments
Russia is probably the biggest market for GM in Europe they love full size trucks and USA cars in general. Every time I see a Cadillac in my country (Slovenia) usually has Russian license plate or German on rare occasion. Everytime I see cadillac makes my heart sing, such glorious vehicles(except interior and infontainment vise)
Yeah, the incompetence of current and prior GM management to succeed in any market outside the United States, Canada and China is disgraceful. The only reason they are doing relatively ok in China is because a Chinese king was driven in a Buick a century ago, so the brand has stellar recognition and reputation.
Russia is a significant market and Russians – like you said – are in love with Chevrolet and Cadillac vehicles. It’s as clear an opportunity as there ever was, with the money spigot simply waiting to be turned on. But GM decided to be less than intelligent and withdraw. What a shame.
I don’t get it. Spend all that time and money setting up in Russia and Europe and then bail out when the going gets tough. A full line manufacturer who can’t put up anything to compete? Nothing?
Ahem, the sentiment in the EU is such that GM couldn’t give cars away at this point even if they were well built and competitive.
The far eastern part of Europe that is western Russia is not part of the EU, and while it is a great culture with great people, the automotive landscape is more comparable with South America; tastes and perspectives hail from very recent memories of rusted out 1970s hardware and Ladas, which isn’t difficult to improve on.