General Motors U.S. Sales Down 3.8 Percent To 195,909 Units In January 2017
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Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac dealers in the United States delivered 195,909 new vehicles in January 2017, a 3.8 percent decrease compared to January 2016 sales. Sales were down at Chevrolet, Cadillac and Buick and up at GMC.
The automaker sold 155,010 vehicles in January to individual or “retail” customers in the U.S., a decrease of 4.9 percent from January 2016 levels. The company states that it focused on profitability in January, resulting in a new record for average transaction prices (ATPs).
“In early January, we focused on profitability while key competitors sold down their large stocks of deeply discounted, old-model-year pickups,” said Kurt McNeil, U.S. vice president of Sales Operations. “We gained considerable sales momentum as we rebuilt our mid-size pickup, SUV and compact crossover inventories from very low levels following record-setting December sales.”
Inventories of most of these products were in the 30 – 50 days’ supply range at the beginning of January.
Sales Summary - January 2017 - General Motors - USA
| Sales | Sales Mix | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 195,909 | 203,745 | -3.8% | -7,836 | 100.0% | 100.0% | 0% |
| Sale Type | January 2017 | January 2016 | January 2017 / January 2016 | January 2017 - January 2016 | January 2017 | January 2016 | January 2016 - January 2015 |
| Retail | 155,010 | 163,055 | -4.9% | -8,045 | 79.1% | 80.0% | -0.9% |
| Fleet | 40,899 | 40,690 | +0.5% | +209 | 20.9% | 20.0% | +0.9% |
January 2017 sales notes and items of interest (vs. January 2016, except as noted):
General Motors sales overview:
Sale types:
- Retail sales decreased 4.9 percent or 8,045 vehicles to 163,055 units, accounting for 79.1 percent of total sales:
- Chevrolet retail sales decreased 4.6 percent to 103,808 units
- GMC retail sales decreased 0.8 percent to 30,528 units
- Buick retail sales decreased 18.5 percent to 12,597 units
- Cadillac retail sales increased 1.2 percent to 8,077 units
- Fleet sales increased 0.5 percent or 209 units to 40,899 units, accounting for 20.9 percent of total sales:
- Rental deliveries decreased 1 percent
- Government deliveries increased 12 percent
- Commercial sales increased 1 percent
- Small business deliveries increased 4 percent
Average Transaction Prices (ATPs) & Incentive Spending:
- ATPs based on J.D. Power PIN estimates:
- GM’s ATPs, which reflect retail transaction prices after sales incentives, rose $1,200 per unit to $34,500, a new January record.
- GM was the only domestic automaker and one of only two full-line automakers to reduce incentives as a percentage of ATP, with spending decreased 0.3 points to 12.7 percent, while the industry average was 12.3 percent, up 1.3 points.
Inventory:
- January month-end inventory was 878,590 units for a 108-day supply, an increase of 33,648 units and 37 days from the 844,942 units and 71 days supply at the end of December 2016
SAAR:
- In January 2017, GM estimates that the seasonally adjusted annual selling rate (SAAR) for light vehicles was approximately 17.6 million units.
Chevrolet sales decreased 1.9 percent to 103,808 units:
- Chevrolet Bolt EV sales totaled 1,162 units
- Chevrolet Camaro sales decreased 35.36 percent to 3,588 units
- Chevrolet Caprice sales increased 185.71 percent to 60 units
- Chevrolet Colorado sales increased 16.43 percent to 6,413 units
- Chevrolet Commercial Truck sales, comprised of Chevrolet City Express sales and Chevrolet Low Cab Forward sales, totaled 482 units
- Chevrolet Corvette sales decreased 15.86 percent to 1,263 units
- Chevrolet Cruze sales increased 38.9 percent to 19,949 units
- Chevrolet Equinox sales decreased 5.38 percent to 17,574 units
- Chevrolet Express sales increased 48.37 percent to 4,322 units
- Chevrolet Impala sales decreased 39.93 percent to 5,972 units
- Chevrolet Malibu sales decreased 43.19 percent to 8,377 units
- Chevrolet SS sales decreased 27.27 percent to 64 units
- Chevrolet Silverado sales decreased 6.1 percent to 35,553 units
- Chevrolet Sonic sales decreased 43.04 percent to 2,095 units
- Chevrolet Spark sales increased 51.2 percent to 1,695 units
- Chevrolet Suburban sales increased 72.29 percent to 5,634 units
- Chevrolet Tahoe sales decreased 5.13 percent to 5,881 units
- Chevrolet Traverse sales increased 17.17 percent to 8,218 units
- Chevrolet Trax sales increased 40.34 percent to 5,257 units
- Chevrolet Volt sales increased 61.75 percent to 1,611 units
Cadillac sales decreased 4.1 percent to 10,298 units:
- Cadillac ATS sales decreased 8.72 percent to 974 units
- Cadillac CT6 sales totaled 634 units
- Cadillac CTS sales decreased 31.79 percent to 691 units
- Cadillac ELR sales decreased 95.52 percent to 3 units
- Cadillac Escalade sales decreased 0.73 percent to 1,218 units
- Cadillac Escalade ESV sales increased 26.32 percent to 979 units
- Cadillac XT5 sales totaled 3,883 units
- Cadillac SRX sales decreased 98.6 percent to 67 units as the model has been replaced by the Cadillac XT5
- Cadillac XTS sales increased 1.99 percent to 1,849 units
Buick sales decreased 28.2 percent to 13,117 units:
- Buick Cascada sales increased 254.55 percent to 312 units
- Buick Enclave sales decreased 27.09 percent to 2,692 units
- Buick Encore sales increased 6.87 percent to 5,258 units
- Buick Envision sales totaled 2,187 units
- Buick LaCrosse sales decreased 67.78 percent to 1,307 units
- Buick Regal sales decreased 64.15 percent to 951 units
- Buick Verano sales decreased 85.66 percent to 410 units
GMC sales increased 1.1 percent to 37,324 units:
- GMC Acadia sales increased 65.26 percent to 8,899 units
- GMC Canyon sales decreased 9.3 percent to 2,059 units
- GMC Savana sales decreased 17.67 percent to 1,235 units
- GMC Sierra sales decreased 4.51 percent to 13,732 units
- GMC Terrain sales decreased 29.36 percent to 6,241 units
- GMC Yukon sales increased 19.98 percent to 3,080 units
- GMC Yukon XL sales increased 4.16 percent to 2,078 units
Sales Results - January 2017 - USA - Chevrolet
| MODEL | JAN 2017 / JAN 2016 | JANUARY 2017 | JANUARY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| BOLT EV | * | 1,162 | * |
| CAMARO | -35.36% | 3,588 | 5,551 |
| CAPRICE | +185.71% | 60 | 21 |
| COLORADO | +16.43% | 6,413 | 5,508 |
| COMMERCIAL TRUCK | * | 482 | * |
| CORVETTE | -15.86% | 1,263 | 1,501 |
| CRUZE | +38.90% | 19,949 | 14,362 |
| EQUINOX | -5.38% | 17,574 | 18,574 |
| EXPRESS | +48.37% | 4,322 | 2,913 |
| IMPALA | -39.93% | 5,972 | 9,942 |
| MALIBU | -43.19% | 8,377 | 14,746 |
| SILVERADO | -6.10% | 35,553 | 37,863 |
| SONIC | -43.04% | 2,095 | 3,678 |
| SPARK | +51.20% | 1,695 | 1,121 |
| SS | -27.27% | 64 | 88 |
| SUBURBAN | +72.29% | 5,634 | 3,270 |
| TAHOE | -5.13% | 5,881 | 6,199 |
| TRAVERSE | +17.17% | 8,218 | 7,014 |
| TRAX | +40.34% | 5,257 | 3,746 |
| VOLT | +61.75% | 1,611 | 996 |
| CHEVROLET TOTAL | -1.91% | 135,170 | 137,803 |
Sales Results - January 2017 - USA - Cadillac
| MODEL | JAN 2017 / JAN 2016 | JANUARY 2017 | JANUARY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATS | -8.72% | 974 | 1,067 |
| CT6 | * | 634 | * |
| CTS | -31.79% | 691 | 1,013 |
| ELR | -95.52% | 3 | 67 |
| ESCALADE | -0.73% | 1,218 | 1,227 |
| ESCALADE ESV | +26.32% | 979 | 775 |
| SRX | -98.60% | 67 | 4,778 |
| XT5 | * | 3,883 | * |
| XTS | +1.99% | 1,849 | 1,813 |
| CADILLAC TOTAL | -4.12% | 10,298 | 10,740 |
Sales Results - January 2017 - USA - Buick
| MODEL | JAN 2017 / JAN 2016 | JANUARY 2017 | JANUARY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CASCADA | +254.55% | 312 | 88 |
| ENCLAVE | -27.09% | 2,692 | 3,692 |
| ENCORE | +6.87% | 5,258 | 4,920 |
| ENVISION | * | 2,187 | * |
| LACROSSE | -67.78% | 1,307 | 4,057 |
| REGAL | -64.15% | 951 | 2,653 |
| VERANO | -85.66% | 410 | 2,859 |
| BUICK TOTAL | -28.20% | 13,117 | 18,269 |
Sales Results - January 2017 - USA - GMC
| MODEL | JAN 2017 / JAN 2016 | JANUARY 2017 | JANUARY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACADIA | +65.26% | 8,899 | 5,385 |
| CANYON | -9.30% | 2,059 | 2,270 |
| SAVANA | -17.67% | 1,235 | 1,500 |
| SIERRA | -4.51% | 13,732 | 14,381 |
| TERRAIN | -29.36% | 6,241 | 8,835 |
| YUKON | +19.98% | 3,080 | 2,567 |
| YUKON XL | +4.16% | 2,078 | 1,995 |
| GMC TOTAL | +1.06% | 37,324 | 36,933 |
Sales Results - January 2017 - USA - GM Totals
| BRAND | JAN 2017 / JAN 2016 | JANUARY 2017 | JANUARY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHEVROLET TOTAL | -1.91% | 135,170 | 137,803 |
| CADILLAC TOTAL | -4.12% | 10,298 | 10,740 |
| BUICK TOTAL | -28.20% | 13,117 | 18,269 |
| GMC TOTAL | +1.06% | 37,324 | 36,933 |
| GM USA TOTAL | -3.85% | 195,909 | 203,745 |
About The Numbers
- There were 24 selling days in January 2017 and 24 selling days in January 2016
- Starting in September 2016, GM began reporting sales of the Chevrolet City Express and Low Cab Forward on a single line entitled Commercial Truck
Further Reading & Sales Reporting
- GM news
- Running GM sales results
- Running Chevrolet sales results
- Running Cadillac sales results
- Running Buick sales results
- Running GMC sales results
- January 2017 GM sales results
- U.S. January 2017 GM sales results
- January 2017 Chevrolet sales results
- January 2017 Cadillac sales results
- January 2017 Buick sales results
- January 2017 GMC sales results
- GM Canada January 2017 sales results
- GM China January 2017 sales results
- Global January 2017 Cadillac sales results
- U.S. January 2017 GM sales results
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ATS and CTS sales under 1000 units each for the month! Sales this year starting down 4.12% after a past year of sales decline! New product cannot come soon enough. I wasn’t that worried at first, but now I am starting to feel concerned for Cadillac. First, they need to get SUVs to market ASAP. Second, they need to find a way to save their sports sedans because they are some of the best drivers cars in the segment. I hope they get this all sorted out quickly.
You shouldn’t be worried about Cadillac volumes because every Cadillac vehicle line is still profitable, even at low sales volumes. And when you look at the market as a whole, the sales volume is actually in line with market.
Take, for instance, the freshest product in the ATS’ class — the Audi A4. The vehicle is “hot” from a consumer interest standpoint, and Audi is spending all kinds of money marketing it; retail availability has reached capacity. With all that going for it, the new A4 accounted for roughly 1700 deliveries during January. The ATS, meanwhile, is the oldest in its class and accounted for 974 deliveries during the same time frame. So, the newest and freshest product that has no need to establish itself or its nameplate in the industry (A4) is selling less than 2x the oldest product that has brand/image issues (Cadillac and ATS)… I wouldn’t say it’s that bad.
One segment up is the CTS with 691 deliveries in January. The Audi A6, by comparison, accounted for roughly 1,000 deliveries. A roughly 300-unit difference on models that have both been around for the same time frame, but with Audi not having the brand-related baggage that Cadillac does.
All in all, I’d say there’s no need to “save” Cadillac’s sports sedans. Rather, the market currently is favoring crossovers… and that’s Cadillac’s biggest weakness in the current environment.
The ATS have always been compared to, and benchmarked against the 3 series, and to a lesser extent, the C class. Sales of the A4 in the US has always trailed the 3 and C by a considerable margin, so comparing the ATS sales now to the A4, to make it look like the ATS sales aren’t that bad, is foolish. The ATS, whilst not the best overall car in the segment, is a good car, but the fact that the sales have declined significantly every year since launch, is troubling, especially being out sold by the equally old 3 and 4 series by a 6 to 1 margin
Generally not a horrible month overall. The industry is going to be down this year compared to a record 2016. Both Ford and Toyota (#2 and #3 respectively) reported lower sales compared to January 2016 as well.
Crossovers are going to continue gain momentum and cars are going to continue to sag.
The real surprise is Buick, down a whopping 28%. They took a real as*kicking for January.
Lacrosse is really surprising since it all new and better than it’s predecessor.
What gives?
I think Lacrosse sales are down for the same reason that the XT5 sold less units than the SRX, the electronic precision shift (EPS). I don’t trust anything other than a “regular gear shift”, especially after the trouble with FCA and more recently the Chevy Bolt.
So, are you suggesting that sales of entire vehicle lines are down due to one single feature that is available from every single automaker?
Yeah, I’d love an explanation on the Lacrosse. I know sedan in general are down, and down by 10-20% in many places. But the Lacrosse is down over 60% — that is astounding for a newly revamped vehicle!
Is it inventory? It shouldn’t be, as this was launched in the fall. Is it marketing? Maybe, as I see plenty of ads for the Encore and Enclave — I can’t recall seeing one for the Lacrosse. Is it competition? Perhaps a bit, as the Continental (which, granted, is a bit more expensive, has a ton of marketing behind it) and there are others, like Hyundai. Is people buying Envisions instead? I’m sure in part — old people are buying CUVs as they provide roominess plus with ease of getting in/out of for old backs and legs.
Regardless, a massive sales disappointment for what seems to be a good car.
it’s not inventory, I was out at a dealer a couple weeks back and they were plenty of 2017 Lacrosses and CT6s on the lot. Not sure about marketing, I haven’t seen a lot for the Continental, some but not a lot. I have seen quite a few Continentals on the street, I think I’ve seen a handful of CT6 and the new Lacrosse. It all goes back to design.
Go read Car & Driver recent test. Think fairly well summarizes issues specifically competition at upper price point!
The numbers are telling. Lacrosse, XT5 and Malibu, while an improvement drive wise over the previous gen are duds from a stylistic stand point and these numbers show that – people aren’t connecting with the new design themes. I would say the same for CT6. Continental out sells CT6 nearly two to one, 1162 vs 634. The Continental is stunning, there’s nothing special style wise about the CT6, not to mention the generic name which might have something to do the Continental’s success over the CT6. I’m curious to see how the new Nox/Ter fair, both are not home runs style wise especially the Terrian.
Mostly agree with you.
The Malibu is doing very well compared to the last gen. in sales plus it’s mechanically and stylistically very competitive in it’s segment.
The CT6 is a much higher price point than the Continental which is going to contribute to the volume difference.
The Lacrosse is likely due to pricing relative to the competition as Martin suggested above.
it goes back to design. If Buick produced the Avenir or Avista without a ridiculous price tag they would have no problem selling cars. The new batch of GM vehicles, there’s nothing special about them – style wise. I’d go as far and say flawed (the rear quarter panels and upsweep on the belt line on the Lacrosse and the overall portions on the Malibu).
There are many different factors why people choose what they do when buying a new vehicle — safety, features, price, but at the end of day for most buyers (not all but most) it’s about style and connecting with the vehicle. If designed didn’t matter we’d all be driving square boxes on wheels.
Agree that style does play a role.
But I do not think the Lacrosse suffers from that as being the biggest issue.
The Lacrosse is not less good looking than say a Toyota Avalon but the Avalon sells significantly more.
The Impala is the segment leader for 2016 and that is not considered an especially dynamic and engaging design so I do not think design is the biggest factor for this segment.
Style is all in the eye of the beholder. I’m sure there are lots of fans of the looks of the Lacrosse – I’m not one of them. This is not to say GM has lost it way in designing vehicles. I think they got it right with the Impala, I’m super excited about the upcoming Regal (Opel Insignia) and eager to see what they do with the Enclave.
I’m also not a big fan of the Encore. My mom drives a 2016. It’s slightly under powered (especially for a Buick) and I’m not crazy about some design elements. But they sell a gabillion of them – so what do I know about design!?!?!?!
Winter is typically slow months for auto sales . It is a mixed bag for GM . The new Acadia looks like its finally starting to gain some momentum, same with the XT5 . The new LaCrosse and CT6 are struggling in a crossover market and there is alot of competition in that segment coming form Ford , Lexus and even Genesis . The XTS is a suprise to some analysts but I see it as an alternative for customers that aren’t all that impressed with the bigger CT6 . Price just may be a component too.
I read that the industry is looking for 16.5 to 17 million units for the year which is still great sales numbers .
If GMC really wanted to make some easy money, they should keep the “old” Acadia and sell it as an Acadia XL in addition to the 2017 Acadia. Even if it is not a long term solution, it would give them some extra cash for the time being, and solve the problem of not having a Traverse/enclave sized vehicle (large CUV/small SUV).
Alex, I read on an article that Lexus sales are down 24% for Jan. Not sure if that figue is accurate. I’m curious as to the % increase/decrease of the major luxury brands compared to Cadillac. Thank you!
Hey Mike,
I’ve been thinking about putting something like that together. Give me a few days to sort out the presentation and tables 🙂
Alex
Alex it helps to put the real volume numbers to the luxury models as with lower volumes a 24% drop is only a couple hundred cars vs. what could be thousands for a higher volume.
I think people forget that and forget that most luxury models are not high volume anymore.
Percentages can be very misleading to the public.
Agreed. That’s why we present the cumulative sales volume and percentage change in every sales report we publish.
Still looks to be very profitable month. I gravitate to the body on frame suvs and truck sales numbers (K2XX), which when totaled up they are only 42 fewer sales than 2016 (68,155 vs. 68,197). Not counting mid size trucks.
Cadillac should bring back the elegant designs and classic lines back…..looking at the exterior of the CT6…it didn’t do anything to excite me…it just looks like a bigger softer CTS….Cadillacs should look like the Elmeraj and Ceil…not a CTS knock off.
Same old Rye, same stupid comment about Cadillac styling.
Go play in the sand and the big boys talk business.
I won’t pay near $90k for a big boring CTS with a lot of plastic.
You wouldn’t even know what plastic was of it hit you square in the face.