General Motors is days away from reporting its May 2014 U.S. sales results, and when it does, the numbers will likely be greater than what is expected by analysts.
Notably, GM sold 252,984 vehicles in the United States in May of 2013, with Cadillac sales jumping a whopping 36 percent, Chevrolet up 5.4 percent, Buick up 9.9 percent, and GMC up 11.5 percent.
While GM’s total sales might be close to those of last year, The General’s retail sales for May of 2014 will likely beat those of May 2013, for which the automaker reported retail sales being up 9 percent and fleet sales being down 10 percent, with the fleet mix being 26 percent of total sales.
If sales for the last three days of May remain strong and GM does come to outpace expectations, it will be sensational news for the company, as its multi-million-unit recalls have put it through the proverbial ringer in the press, not to mention Capitol Hill.
Comments
I still doubt big numbers…
I still think you’re wrong.
You guys still doubt big numbers?
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2014/06/general-motors-u-s-sales-up-13-percent-to-284694-units-in-may-2014-by-the-numbers/
GMC is such an unusual brand: Chevy trucks, with a mark up & higher trim. GMC/Buick dealerships have become a strong distribution channel.
Just imagine if GMC got unique products to better rival Jeep and Rover? Or of GMC trucks got a truly unique skin?
I dare GM to do it…
GM was on the way to the Canadian franchise model before bankruptcy — with Chevrolet and Pontiac-Buick-GMC dealerships. Cadillac would be stand alone where viable and paired with the strongest of the two franchises (financially and customer satisfaction wise). Of course, the bankruptcy — and the ditching of several brands including Pontiac — hurt these plans immensely.
My own personal opinion was that the car czars didn’t fully understand the business model — and benefits. While there are badge engineering costs, there were nameplate premiums built into the other brands that should have covered a large part of the badge engineering costs — as well as given GM several channels of distribution which is an important strategy.
I agree the car czars knew little to nothing but also think that, deep down, Chevy wanted to kill Pontiac since the brand had long ago stopped garnering a price premium.
In truth, both Buick (Regal) & Chevy (SS, Corvette) can carry Pontiac’s load. The real loss was the Saturn distribution network. It was well on its was top being Opel NA, a task hard for Buick when it comes to many Opel models like Corsa or Astra hatch.
The Saturn network was so good and to this day, I’m surprised PSA did not buy it for an entry into the North American markets. Would be perfect home for DS.
There is no dare to do it as GMC will evolve with time into its own. They are starting with styling and in time will be set more apart. Right now GM has more pressing needs like finishing Cadillac and fixing Buick right now. GMC as it is has been helping pay for these changes.
With the things we have been seeing and hearing I would not be surprised to see GMC to get a model of its on in the next couple years and grow from there.
Nice to see the recall is not taking a toll on GM as many feared. I suspect that since most of the cars are pre 2008 and out of production few are even considering it with the new models. Also the discounts on the trucks brought back the sales as predicted. People want money on the hood of a truck and pricing is critical. It will be interesting to see how Ford fares with the price increase on the new F150. I think private sales will be fine but fleet and company sales where most F150 sales are will be hurt. I think this is where Ram expects some gains as they have been able to go low on price with heavier discounts for a long time.