General Motors U.S. Sales Down 1.5 Percent To 227,825 Units In February 2016

Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac dealers in the United States delivered 227,825 new vehicles in February 2016, a 1.5 percent decrease compared to February 2015. Sales of Cadillac and Buick were up, while those of GMC and Chevrolet were down.

The decrease in overall sales volume can be explained by a planned reduction of sales to rental companies.

“Our strategy is simple: grow profitable retail share while maintaining discipline with inventory levels and incentive spending, while reducing rental deliveries,” said Kurt McNeil, GM’s U.S. vice president of sales operations.

“The redesign of our full-size pickups and SUVs, and the smart bets we made to enter the small crossover and mid-size pickup segments with vehicles like the Chevrolet Trax and Colorado couldn’t have been timed better,” McNeil said. “The economy is growing, Millennials are becoming a major force in the market and we’re doing everything we can to meet retail demand, including increased production of mid-size pickups and investing in additional V8 engine capacity.”

“We continue to be optimistic about the continued strength of the U.S. economy,” said Mustafa Mohatarem, GM’s chief economist. “Employment remains strong, interest rates remain at historically low levels and gas prices are stable, so we expect auto sales to remain strong for the foreseeable future.”

February 2016 notes (vs. February 2015, except as noted):

General Motors sales overview:

• Sales types:
  • Overall sales volume was down 1.5 percent to 227,825 units due to a planned reduction in rental deliveries, which were down by about 16,500 units, or 39 percent, in February.
  • GM’s Commercial business experienced its 28th consecutive month of growth, improving 7 percent year-over-year in February and for the calendar year to date, after growing 38 percent from 2013 to 2015
  • Government sales were up 14 percent year over year in February, and 3 percent calendar year to date
  • Retail deliveries totaled 179,958 units, up 7 percent, and GM’s estimated retail share grew 0.4 percentage points.
  • As a result of lower rental deliveries, GM expects its fleet mix in 2016 to be about 20 percent of total sales, compared with a historical range of 22 to 24 percent. In 2015, GM reduced rental deliveries by about 50,000 units compared to 2014. In the first two months of 2016, rental deliveries dropped about 30,000 units, compared to a year ago.
• Average Transaction Prices (ATPs) based on J.D. Power PIN estimates:
  • ATPs, which reflect transaction prices after incentives, were approximately $34,200 in February, up about $680 from January and more than $3,600 above the industry average.
  • GM’s incentive spending as a percentage of ATP was 12.4 percent, which reflects lower year-over-year spending on trucks and higher spending on passenger cars being replaced with all-new designs. Industry average spending in February was 11.1 percent.
  • GM continues to grow retail market share with incentives below domestic companies and other key competitors
• Millennials (customers under age 34) now buy more new vehicles than any generation besides Baby Boomers, and they account for 20 percent of GM sales, up from 5 percent in 2010. GM’s products plans are tailored to these generational shifts with several redesigned vehicles launching in 2016.
• New or future GM product includes:
  • 2016 Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan
  • 2016 Chevrolet Volt compact plug-in extended-range electric vehicle
  • 2016 Chevrolet Camaro sports car
  • 2016 Chevrolet Malibu midsize sedan
  • 2017 Chevrolet Trax subcompact crossover
  • 2016 Buick Cascada compact convertible
  • 2016 Buick Envision compact crossover
  • 2017 Buick LaCrosse full-size luxury sedan
  • 2017 GMC Acadia midsize crossover
  • 2016 Cadillac CT6 full-size prestige luxury sedan
  • 2017 Cadillac XT5 crossover
• GM expects to operate with about a 70-days supply of vehicles throughout the year in most months, with some months being higher or lower
• February month-end inventory was at a 67-days supply
• GM estimates that the seasonally adjusted annual selling rate (SAAR) for light vehicles in February was 17.7 million units

Chevrolet sales decreased 0.72 percent to 158,644 units:

• Chevy crossover sales:
  • Chevy Trax sales increased 25.99 percent to 4,814 units
  • Chevy Equinox sales decreased 8.74 percent to 19,825 units
  • Chevy Traverse sales decreased 5.64 percent to 9,158 units
• Chevy Truck sales:
  • Chevy Colorado sales increased 12.66 percent to 7,394 units
  • Chevy Silverado sales decreased 4.98 percent to 43,136 units
  • Chevy Tahoe sales decreased 12.36 percent to 6,494 units
  • Chevy Suburban sales decreased 19.21 percent to 3,584 units
  • Chevy City Express sales increased 21.32 percent to 734 units
  • Chevy Express sales increased 33.8 percent to 4,311 units
• Chevy Car sales:
  • Chevy Spark sales decreased 34.14 percent to 1,761 units
  • Chevy Sonic sales increased 46.24 percent to 4,421 units
  • Chevy Cruze sales decreased 28.98 percent to 12,998 units
  • Chevy Volt sales increased 62.48 percent to 1,126 units
  • Chevy Malibu sales increased 53.3 percent to 21,418 units. The all-new 2016 Chevrolet Malibu is now fully launched across the country.
  • Chevy Impala sales increased 0.90 percent 9,147 units
  • Chevy SS Sedan sales decreased 23.26 percent to 165 units
  • Chevy Caprice sales decreased 27.55 percent to 71 units
  • Chevy Camaro sales decreased 3.48 percent to 6,151 units; the all-new 2016 Camaro began to arrive at dealers and be delivered to customers in December
  • Chevy Corvette sales decreased 18.77 percent to 2,116 units

Cadillac sales increased 0.86 percent to 11,840 units:

• Cadillac ATS sales decreased 21.55 percent to 1,591 units
• Cadillac CTS sales increased 1.6 percent to 1,461 units
• Cadillac ELR sales decreased 28.35 percent to 91 units
• Cadillac Escalade sales increased 22.23 percent to 1,820 units and Cadillac Escalade ESV sales increased 17.91 percent to 1,047 units
• Cadillac SRX sales increased 5.46 percent to 4,017 units
• Cadillac XTS sales decreased 7.5 percent to 1,813 units

Buick sales increased 2.26 percent to 17,811 units:

• Buick Cascada sales totaled 495 units
• Buick Enclave sales increased 13.98 percent to 4,126 units
• Buick Encore sales increased 19.35 percent to 5,873 units
• Buick LaCrosse sales decreased 29.54 percent to 2,643 units. The all-new, 2017 Buick LaCrosse will launch later this year.
• Buick Regal sales decreased 4.8 percent to 1,608 units
• Buick Verano sales decreased 10.79 percent to 3,066 units

GMC sales decreased 6.84 percent to 39,530 units:

• GMC Acadia sales decreased 1.26 percent to 6,972 units
• GMC Canyon sales decreased 2.9 percent to 2,440 units
• GMC Savana sales decreased 30.97 percent to 1,380 units
• GMC Sierra sales increased 0.3 percent to 15,202 units
• GMC Terrain sales decreased 24.19 percent to 8,232 units
• GMC Yukon sales increased 8.15 percent to 3,024 units and GMC Yukon XL sales were up 11.33 percent to 2,280 units

Sales Results - February 2016 - USA - Chevrolet

Sales Results - February 2016 - USA - Cadillac

Sales Results - February 2016 - USA - Buick

Sales Results - February 2016 - USA - GMC

Sales Results - February 2016 - USA - GM Totals

About The Numbers

• There were 24 selling days in February 2016 and 24 selling days in February 2015