GMC Savana Sales Increase 8 Percent In Q4 2019

GMC Savana sales increased in the United States and in Canada during the fourth quarter of 2019.

• The Savana is sold exclusively in the U.S. and Canada, and not in Mexico. Instead, GM only sells its platform mate, the Chevrolet Express, in Mexico.

GMC Savana Sales - Q4 2019 - United States

In the United States, GMC Savana deliveries totaled 3,136 units in Q4 2019, an increase of about 8 percent compared to 2,905 units sold in Q4 2018.

During the complete 2019 calendar year, Savana sales increased about 23 percent to 24,226 units.

GMC Savana Sales - Q4 2019 - Canada

In Canada, GMC Savana deliveries totaled 1,162 units in Q4 2019, an increase of about 4 percent compared to 1,113 units sold in Q4 2018.

During the complete 2019 calendar year, Savana sales decreased about 15 percent to 5,565 units.

Competitive Sales Comparison

GMC Savana sales increased during Q4 2019, posting a 8 percent increase in sales volume during a time when sales of its corporate twin – the Chevrolet Express – fell 26 percent. Even with the decrease in sales, the Express sold over four times as many units as the Savana during the same time frame.

Leading the segment by a wide margin was the Ford Transit in first place (see Ford Transit sales), followed by the aforementioned Chevy Express (see Chevrolet Express sales) in second, the Ram ProMaster (see Ram ProMaster sales) in third, the Ford E-Series (see Ford E-Series sales) in fourth (the model is available exclusively as a cutaway), the Nissan NV in fifth, and the GMC Savana bringing up the rear in sixth place. The Ford Transit posted the largest growth in its segment with 18 percent.

Sales Numbers - Full-Size Vans - Q4 2019 - United States

Combined deliveries of the Ford Transit and E-Series totaled 49,722 units, accounting for 55 percent segment share during the quarter. Meanwhile, GM’s offerings – the Chevy Express and GMC Savana – saw combined deliveries of just over 19,750 units for roughly 20 percent market share – significantly less than that of The Blue Oval. Even so, the fact that the Express and Savana were able to garner that many deliveries is quite impressive given that the GM twins are the oldest vehicles in the segment and have received few changes over the past two decades.

The full-size mainstream van segment, which includes passenger, cargo, and cutaway/chassis cab models, expanded over 1 percent to 88,964 units in Q4 2019.

The GM Authority Take

The GMC Savana and Chevy Express are archaic vehicles that trace their roots to the 1990s. In fact, they are the oldest products in their segment, and by a wide margin. They’re also the oldest GM vehicles currently in production. Even so, the duo continues to perform very well in the marketplace. The performance is even more impressive in the wake of sales volume lost by the recent UAW strike, which lasted 40 days. During this time, no new units of the Express/Savana rolled off the line at the GM Wentzville plant in Missouri, which caused delivery volumes to be depressed during the quarter.

During the 2019 calendar year, Savana sales increased 23 percent to 24,226 units. We attribute the growth in Savana sales to strong commercial/fleet vehicle deliveries during the quarter. We should also explain a circumstance that can take place in the commercial space. It entails a commercial/fleet customer placing a large order for a GMC product and not its Chevrolet equivalent (or vice-versa). GM can sometimes fulfill (deliver) the order in a single quarter, causing significant discrepancies in sales volumes of the Savana and the Express.

Also helping the Savana (and Express) are well-established up-fit-level offerings, which prepare or modify the Savana for various commercial duties. In fact, orders from Amazon likely helped fuel Savana sales growth during Q4. The accessible purchase price and low operating cost of the Savana (and Express) also factor into their ongoing success. Meanwhile, the introduction of the 2.8L Duramax Turbo-Diesel LWN engine and 8-speed automatic transmission (M5U), introduced for the 2017 model year, has generated increased interest in the model.

Looking ahead, the Savana will receive several improvements for the 2021 model year, headlined by a new 6.6L V8 L8T gasoline engine. After that, GM plans to produce the Express and Savana in their current forms until at least 2023, as GM Authority was first to exclusively report. Meanwhile, an indirect replacement for the Savana is rumored to be part of GM’s EV onslaught.

About The Numbers

• All percent change figures compared to GMC Savana sales for Q4 2018
• In the United States, there were 78 selling days in Q4 2019 and 77 selling days in Q4 2018
• Sales numbers for the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van are not available, since the Mercedes-Benz Vans division does not break out sales by model. Requests to provide the information have been continuously declined.

GM Q4 2019 sales numbers:

• GM Q4 2019 sales U.S.A.
  • Chevrolet sales Q4 2019 U.S.A.
  • Cadillac sales Q4 2019 U.S.A.
  • Buick sales Q4 2019 U.S.A.
  • GMC sales Q4 2019 U.S.A.
• GM Canada sales Q4 2019
  • Chevrolet Canada sales Q4 2019
  • Cadillac Canada sales Q4 2019
  • Buick Canada sales Q4 2019
  • GMC Canada sales Q4 2019
• GM Mexico sales Q4 2019
  • GM Mexico sales October 2019
    • Chevrolet Mexico October 2019 sales
    • Buick Mexico October 2019 sales
    • GMC Mexico October 2019 sales
    • Cadillac Mexico October 2019 sales
  • GM Mexico sales November 2019 sales
    • Chevrolet Mexico November 2019 sales
    • Buick Mexico November 2019 sales
    • GMC Mexico November 2019 sales
    • Cadillac Mexico November 2019 sales
  • GM Mexico sales December 2019
    • Chevrolet Mexico December 2019 sales
    • Buick Mexico December 2019 sales
    • GMC Mexico December 2019 sales
    • Cadillac Mexico December 2019 sales
• GM China sales Q4 2019
  • Chevrolet China Q4 2019 sales
  • Buick China Q4 2019 sales
  • Cadillac China Q4 2019 sales
• GM Brazil sales Q4 2019
  • Chevrolet October 2019 sales Brazil
  • Chevrolet November 2019 sales Brazil
  • Chevrolet December 2019 sales Brazil
• GM South Korea sales Q4 2019
  • Chevrolet October 2019 sales South Korea
  • Cadillac October 2019 sales South Korea
  • Chevrolet November 2019 sales South Korea
  • Cadillac November 2019 sales South Korea
  • GM December 2019 sales South Korea
    • Chevrolet December 2019 sales South Korea
    • Cadillac December 2019 sales South Korea