General Motors Sales Grow 1.7 Percent In October 2011

General Motors has posted its sales results for October 2011 today, selling 186,895 vehicles in the month in the U.S. That number translates to a 1.7 percent year over year growth — essentially flat — with 77 percent of all sales being attributed to retail. The biggest statistic of the month is that every brand shrank in sales numbers compared to the same time last year, except for Chevrolet. Total U.S. sales year-to-date for The General now tally 2,089,067 units.

Buick Growth Streak Snapped With Loss of 7%

The Tri-Shield brand saw a sudden drop in overall sales for the month of October 2011, ending its streak of consecutive sales gains for 24 months — which alone is a feat in and of itself. Selling 11,687 units, most sales came from the Enclave and Lacrosse, but the Regal was the only vehicle in the portfolio that saw gains, surging 39.6 percent. Dealers are also selling off whatever is left of the discontinued Lucerne to make way for the all-new Verano as it begins its launch this month.

Cadillac Sinks 11.9%

The Wreath and Crest put 11,795 unit sales on the board for October 2011, falling 11.9 percent compared to the same time last year. Like Buick, all models except for one were in the red, as only the SRX crossover posted a positive sales gain of 12.7 percent. It was also the best-selling vehicle from Cadillac for the month. Don’t expect this trend to keep up for much longer, as Cadillac consumers have both the ATS and XTS to look forward to next year.

Chevrolet Spurts 6.0%

The Bowtie brand achieved 131,804 total sales for October 2011, with a mixed bag of individual vehicle gains and declines. The Silverado (obviously) was Chevy’s best seller with 36,656 sales, followed by the Equinox (15,106 sales) and then Cruze (14,295 sales). Sales of the Malibu notably shrank as GM readies the all-new model set to launch in January. The Volt sold a record 1,106 units, while the Sonic continued to pick up the pace with 3,833 sales.

GMC Slips 4.6%

Big Red suffered a 4.6 percent loss in October, selling 31,609 units. The Sierra and Terrain were the only growers for the month, selling 13,362 and 6,350 units and growing by 2.9 and 16.6 percent, respectively.