General Motors Global Sales Up 4 Percent In 2013: By The Numbers

General Motors delivered an eyebrow-raising 9,714,652 vehicles around the world in 2013, an increase of 4 percent compared to 2012.

2013 highlights (vs. 2012):

  • Chevrolet sold a record 4,984,126 vehicles in 2013, an increase of 19,304 from the previous record set in 2012. Key product launches included the Silverado, named the 2014 North American Truck of the Year, and the Corvette Stingray, named the 2014 North American Car of the Year.
  • Cadillac’s global sales were up 28 percent. The brand ended 2013 as the fastest-growing full-line luxury brand in the United States, with sales up 22 percent following the introductions of the all-new XTS and ATS. In China, Cadillac’s sales grew 67 percent to a record 50,005 vehicles. Cadillac broke ground on a new assembly plant in China last year and plans to add one new model per year in the country through 2016.
  • Buick’s global sales were up 15 percent as it introduced redesigns of the LaCrosse and Regal in all of its major markets and added new models in North America, including the Encore crossover. Dealers delivered 1,032,331 vehicles for the best year in the brand’s 110-year history. The previous record of 1,003,345 vehicles sold was set in 1984, before the brand entered the China market.
  • Opel/Vauxhall sold more than 1 million vehicles globally and delivered a slight increase in European market share to the mid-5 percent range, its first in 14 years, following the successful launches of the Mokka and ADAM.

“A healthy auto market in the United States and China, and very successful product launches at all of our brands worldwide drove GM’s growth in 2013 and helped us navigate difficult conditions in Europe and parts of South America and Asia,” said Dan Ammann, GM executive vice president and chief financial officer.

Sales By GM Region

GMIO and GM North America were the two biggest GM regions by sales volume with sales growing 7 percent each in 2013. However, GM Europe and GM South America dropped by 3 percent and 1 percent, respectively.

General Motors 2013 Sales By GM Region

GM REGIONQ4 2013YOY CHANGE% CHANGEFULL-YEAR 2013YOY CHANGE% CHANGE
TOTAL2,463,380 +121,133 +5%9,714,652 +417,578 +4%
NORTH AMERICA784,832 +48,753 +7%3,234,275 +214,793 +7%
EUROPE371,199 -2,511-1%1,556,754 -53,957-3%
SOUTH AMERICA267,676 +2,798 +1%1,037,458 -13,582-1%
INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS1,039,673 +72,093 +7%3,886,165 +270,324 +7%

Sales By Brand

Chevrolet finished the year as the most popular GM brand, selling just shy of five million vehicles. The Bow Tie was followed by Opel/Vauxhall and Buick, with roughly a million sales each, and Cadillac took a distant fourth at 250,830 units sold. The remaining 2.3 million sales are attributed to GM’s non-core brands such as Wuling, Baojun, etc. All brands except for Chevrolet and Opel/Vauxhall posted double-digit increases for the year.

General Motors 2013 Sales By Brand

BRANDQ4 2013YOY CHANGE% CHANGEFULL-YEAR 2013YOY CHANGE% CHANGE
TOTAL2,463,380 +121,133 +5%9,714,652 +388,868 +4%
CHEVROLET1,236,442 -9,406-1%4,984,126 +19,304 0%
OPEL/VAUXHALL255,996 +16,207 +7%1,063,979 -4,061-0%
BUICK255,833 +25,194 +11%1,032,331 +137,198 +15%
CADILLAC71,953 +12,909 +22%250,830 +55,218 +28%
ALL OTHERS643,156 +76,229 +13%2,383,386 +209,919 +10%

Top 5 Countries

The General’s top five countries by sales volume consisted of China, United States, Brazil, United Kingdom, and Russia — in descending order. For the year, sales were up in the first four nations, but dropped 11 percent in Russia.

General Motors 2013 Sales - Top 5 Countries

COUNTRYQ4 2013YOY CHANGE% CHANGEFULL-YEAR 2013YOY CHANGE% CHANGE
RUSSIA68,672 -2,989-4%257,583 -30,725-11%
CHINA847,948 +93,632 +12%3,160,374 +324,246 +11%
USA668,619 +40,617 +6%2,786,078 +190,361 +7%
BRAZIL173,525 +4,309 +3%649,849 +7,115 +1%
UK68,577 +8,543 +14%300,977 +28,649 +11%

About The Charts

  • GM North America includes United States, Canada, Mexico, and other North American markets*
  • GM Europe includes Western, Central and Eastern Europe (includes Chevrolet Europe)
  • GM International Operations include Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East*
  • *Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria and Sudan are excluded from sales volume calculations.

The GM Authority staff is comprised of columnists, interns, and other reporters who provide coverage of the latest General Motors news.

GM Authority Staff

The GM Authority staff is comprised of columnists, interns, and other reporters who provide coverage of the latest General Motors news.

View Comments

  • I still can't predict a happy future for GM. Its new products look old already and there is no innovation.

    Anyone seen the new 2015 F150? Google it. This probably isn't the place but one should give credit where credit is due: Instead of resting on it laurels, Ford created a very butch, and modern looking truck, made from aluminum to save weight, and there is new stuff under the hood, too, with another Ecoboost. Again, 4 engine options, and no 90 degree V6 that dates to the Reagan administration. Hard to imagine for us disappointed GM faithful, I know.

    They took a risk with the aluminum and showed some guts in the process. Taking a risk and showing guts are two things GM never does. And to top it off Ford trucks are actually built in the USA, unlike many Silverados.

    • I think the F-150 looks the exact opposite of "butch." Yeah that's right, I said that it looked feminine. The Silverado looks brawny (like me, haha). It doesn't matter where a car is built as much as it matters what brands it comes from. You are strictly talking about the 2007-2014 model, not the new 2014 model. In this case it doesn't matter since they are both domestic automobile companies. A Ford and/or Chevy vs. A Toyoblah would be much different as most of the money spent on a new Tundra/Tacoma would go overseas (besides employee wages/salaries).

      • Anything built inside NAFTA benefits the US because, at this point, the US, Canadian and Mexican economies are basically merged.
        What's good for Mexico is good for America & GM, to borrow and alter an old quote.

    • I'm thrilled for Buick!
      Glad for GMC!
      Happy to see Opel/Vauxhall grow slightly!
      Disappointed with the soft weakness at Chevy!
      Once the world's largest auto maker sold just under 5 million Chevy products and this is with GM using Buick to battle Ford in China; Opel/Vauxhall to fight Ford in Europe. In the domestic market, GM needs Buick, GMC & Caddy to narrowly beat a resurgent Ford in market share.

      I have two concerns for Chevy over the next decade: Will it be able to fight Ford domestically when its global product mix is designed for the sub mainstream market? Will GM be wise enough to alter Chevy's N. American product mix to better compete against Ford? As an example, Astra beats Focus in the UK and Germany so would it not be logical to slightly reskin Astra for sale by Chevy in the US, Canada & Mexico?

      GM must obviously build world cars and then assign them to the appropriate brand depending on the conditions of each market.

    • No, I AM referring to the present day 2014 pickups; none of which are built outside the US. magirus made an incorrect statement and I corrected him.

      There was the Rosario plant in Argentina, but the Silverado listed there is as a former product.

      So of course I was talking about the 2014 trucks. What the hell made you think I wasn't?

  • ALL 2014 Crew cab VINs start with 3, that'd be Mexico my friend. 1 is US, 2 is Canada, 3 is Mexico, i am pretty sure.

    • It's not my tax dollars. In fact, I've never paid a dime in tax money to Washington, ever.

      Is it any worse when Ford builds Lincolns in Mexico?

      Or is it surface-level xenophobia?

  • I think American vehicles sold in the US should be built in the US, especially when the manufacturer is being kept alive by the tax payer. Call me crazy.

    You really don't see anything wrong with this? Toyota and Nissan believe in the American work force in Texas and Mississippi. VW builds cars in Tennessee. Honda builds its Accord here, the Camry is American made. Yet, somehow, it is too much to ask for GM to build its trucks here.

  • All this knowledge and you don't know many of the new GM full size trucks are built in old Mexico?

    Good points though. You win. I will get a life now and stop fighting people on this blog. Peace out, brothers.

  • All this knowledge, and I really don't care where GM builds their trucks.

    Don't let xenophobia mar you.

  • Xeonophobia, stop throwing big words around. I am not afraid of anything foreign. I was born and raised an hour from where Porsche builds its 911. Guess what, they are selling them all over the world and they still build them in Germany. The Silverado is GM's 911, it defines the brand. Nobody cares where the Spark is built.

    I really can't believe I am trying to convince a GM fan that the trucks should be built in the US rather than a third world country.

    This site must be run by GM executives' children.

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