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GM Car Sales Jumped 100 Percent During Q2 2022

GM car sales, which include the Chevy Camaro, Corvette, Malibu, and Spark, along with the Cadillac CT4 and CT5, increased in the United States and Canada during the second quarter of 2022. However, GM car sales fell in Mexico – where only the automaker’s Chevy brand sells cars.

Sales Numbers - GM Car Sales - Q2 2022 - USA

MODEL Q2 22 / Q2 21 Q2 22 Q2 21 Q2 22 SHARE Q2 21 SHARE YTD 22 / YTD 21 YTD 22 YTD 21
CHEVROLET CAMARO +62.79% 4,545 2,792 8% 10% +13.91% 11,255 9,881
CHEVROLET CORVETTE +8.27% 8,630 7,971 15% 28% +19.61% 17,441 14,582
CHEVROLET MALIBU +563.14% 32,487 4,899 58% 17% +82.43% 58,169 31,886
CHEVROLET SPARK -50.22% 3,860 7,754 7% 28% -78.51% 4,138 19,259
CADILLAC CT4 +13.63% 2,617 2,303 5% 8% -8.52% 4,510 4,930
CADILLAC CT5 +70.18% 4,171 2,451 7% 9% +10.10% 7,514 6,825
TOTAL +99.89% 56,310 28,170 +17.93% 103,027 87,363

Cumulative deliveries of GM cars in the United States increased a healthy 100 percent to 56,310 units in Q2 2022, comprised of:

  • 4,545 units of the Chevy Camaro, an increase of 63 percent compared to 2,792 units sold in Q2 2021, and
  • 8,630 units of the Corvette, an increase of eight percent compared to 7,971 units sold in Q2 2021, and
  • 32,487 units of the Chevy Malibu, an increase of a whopping 563 percent compared to 4,899 units sold in Q2 2021, and
  • 3,860 units of the Spark, a decrease of 50 percent compared to 7,754 units sold in Q2 2021, and
  • 2,617 units of the Cadillac CT4, an increase of 14 percent compared to 2,303 units sold in Q2 2021, and
  • 4,171 units of the CT5, an increase of 70 percent compared to 2,451 units sold in Q2 2021

Sales Numbers - GM Car Sales - Q2 2022 - Canada

MODEL Q2 22 / Q2 21 Q2 22 Q2 21 Q2 22 SHARE Q2 21 SHARE YTD 22 / YTD 21 YTD 22 YTD 21
CHEVROLET CAMARO +29.18% 332 257 8% 7% -2.62% 594 610
CHEVROLET CORVETTE -48.68% 448 873 11% 23% -38.21% 713 1,154
CHEVROLET MALIBU +146.53% 1,134 460 29% 12% +65.32% 2,007 1,214
CHEVROLET SPARK -2.89% 1,645 1,694 42% 44% -43.10% 1,773 3,116
CADILLAC CT4 -19.92% 193 241 5% 6% -33.49% 292 439
CADILLAC CT5 -35.82% 190 296 5% 8% -32.38% 401 593
TOTAL +3.17% 3,942 3,821 -18.89% 5,780 7,126

Cumulative deliveries of GM cars in Canada increased three percent to 3,942 units in Q2 2022, comprised of:

  • 332 units of the Chevy Camaro, an increase of 29 percent compared to 257 units sold in Q2 2021, and
  • 448 units of the Corvette, a decrease of 49 percent compared to 873 units sold in Q2 2021, and
  • 1,134 units of the Malibu, an increase of a notable 147 percent compared to 460 units sold in Q2 2021, and
  • 1,645 units of the Spark, a decrease of three percent compared to 1,694 units sold in Q2 2021, and
  • 193 units of the Cadillac CT4, a decrease of 20 percent compared to 241 units sold in Q2 2021, and
  • 190 units of the CT5, a decrease of 36 percent compared to 296 units sold in Q2 2021

Sales Numbers - GM Car Sales - Q2 2022 - Mexico

MODEL Q2 22 / Q2 21 Q2 22 Q2 21 Q2 22 SHARE Q2 21 SHARE YTD 22 / YTD 21 YTD 22 YTD 21
CHEVROLET AVEO -12.19% 8,499 9,679 58% 40% +23.41% 22,404 18,154
CHEVROLET BEAT -99.98% 2 8,407 0% 34% -99.97% 5 18,556
CHEVROLET CAMARO -62.50% 12 32 0% 0% -67.74% 20 62
CHEVROLET CAVALIER -33.21% 1,064 1,593 7% 7% -26.87% 2,684 3,670
CHEVROLET CORVETTE -22.86% 27 35 0% 0% -30.99% 49 71
CHEVROLET ONIX +67.28% 5,020 3,001 34% 12% -2.69% 9,192 9,446
CHEVROLET SPARK -97.16% 47 1,654 0% 7% -98.30% 54 3,180
TOTAL -39.88% 14,671 24,401 -35.25% 34,408 53,139

Cumulative deliveries of GM cars in Mexico decreased 40 percent to 14,671 units in Q2 2022. It’s worth noting that some GM cars on this list have already been discontinued or are scheduled to be, but remaining inventory continues to be sold. GM car sales in Mexico during the second quarter of 2022 was comprised of:

  • 8,499 units of the Chevy Aveo, a decrease of 12 percent compared to 9,679 units sold in Q2 2021, and
  • Two units of the Beat, a decrease of 100 percent compared to 8,407 units sold in Q2 2021, and
  • 12 units of the Camaro, a decrease of 63 percent compared to 32 units sold in Q2 2021, and
  • 1,064 units of the Cavalier, a decrease of 33 percent compared to 1,593 units sold in Q2 2021, and
  • 27 units of the Corvette, a decrease of 23 percent compared to 35 units sold in Q2 2021, and
  • 5,020 units of the Onix, an increase of 67 percent compared to 3,001 units sold in Q2 2021, and
  • 47 units of the Spark, a decrease of 97 percent compared to 1,654 units sold in Q2 2021

While both the Chevy Malibu, Camaro, Corvette, CT4, and CT5 fall directly within GM’s car category, it can be argued that the term “car” can also be used to describe other types of vehicles. Specifically, we could extend the definition of “car” to unibody crossovers and to unibody pickups (though GM doesn’t sell the latter in North America), since they use the same integral body structure as cars, albeit with a different body style that calls for a higher ride and roof height.

Many analysts and industry observers agree, having already begun to define “car” to include traditional cars like sedans, hatchbacks, wagons, coupes, and convertibles, as well as unibody crossovers and pickups. For GM, Chevy owners are moving into crossovers and the Bow Tie brand says that, generally speaking, customers who buy a crossover don’t switch back to cars. Meanwhile, Buick sedan buyers are converting to crossovers to the extent that the Tri-Shield brand doesn’t even offer any traditional cars anymore.

In any event, expanding the definition of “car” to include all GM unibody vehicles sold by Chevy, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac shows that sales were down 19 percent to 269,366 units.

Sales Numbers - Unibody GM Vehicles - Q2 2022 - USA

MODEL Q2 22 / Q2 21 Q2 22 Q2 21 Q2 22 SHARE Q2 21 SHARE YTD 22 / YTD 21 YTD 22 YTD 21
CHEVROLET EQUINOX +9.37% 60,642 55,448 23% 17% -1.68% 116,678 118,666
CHEVROLET MALIBU +563.14% 32,487 4,899 12% 1% +82.43% 58,169 31,886
GMC TERRAIN +36.96% 22,758 16,616 8% 5% +42.25% 47,702 33,533
CHEVROLET TRAVERSE -54.09% 20,842 45,394 8% 14% -46.90% 44,306 83,431
CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER -31.72% 15,938 23,343 6% 7% -49.25% 24,544 48,367
GMC ACADIA -41.64% 15,330 26,266 6% 8% -46.64% 24,666 46,222
CHEVROLET BLAZER -30.57% 14,296 20,590 5% 6% -16.94% 33,104 39,855
CHEVROLET TRAX -46.10% 9,752 18,092 4% 5% -55.62% 15,553 35,047
BUICK ENCORE GX -65.37% 9,089 26,244 3% 8% -67.61% 14,471 44,679
CHEVROLET CORVETTE +8.27% 8,630 7,971 3% 2% +19.61% 17,441 14,582
BUICK ENCLAVE -47.77% 7,885 15,096 3% 5% -42.01% 14,910 25,713
BUICK ENVISION -56.31% 6,783 15,526 3% 5% -58.08% 10,901 26,002
CADILLAC XT5 -37.19% 6,641 10,573 2% 3% -39.86% 11,634 19,346
CADILLAC XT6 -21.70% 5,599 7,151 2% 2% -28.63% 9,379 13,141
CADILLAC XT4 +116.24% 5,432 2,512 2% 1% +14.65% 9,133 7,966
BUICK ENCORE -43.23% 5,124 9,026 2% 3% -49.24% 7,744 15,255
CHEVROLET CAMARO +62.79% 4,545 2,792 2% 1% +13.91% 11,255 9,881
CHEVROLET BOLT EUV +979.83% 4,384 406 2% 0% +1,050.25% 4,670 406
CADILLAC CT5 +70.18% 4,171 2,451 2% 1% +10.10% 7,514 6,825
CHEVROLET SPARK -50.22% 3,860 7,754 1% 2% -78.51% 4,138 19,259
CADILLAC CT4 +13.63% 2,617 2,303 1% 1% -8.52% 4,510 4,930
CHEVROLET BOLT EV -76.41% 2,561 10,857 1% 3% -86.76% 2,633 19,882
TOTAL -18.70% 269,366 331,310 -25.54% 495,055 664,874

Sales of GM unibody cars were led by the Chevy Equinox, which posted a nine percent increase to 60,642 units, representing nearly a quarter of all GM unibody sales and nearly twice as much as the next best-selling model, the Chevy Malibu, which registered a whopping 563 percent leap in sales to 32,487 units on better availability.

Interestingly enough, the Malibu is currently the only Chevy sedan offered in the U.S., as the marque has already discontinued all of its other sedan models, including the Impala, Cruze, Sonic, Volt and SS. Additionally, the subcompact Spark hatchback will be dropped after the 2022 model year while the Malibu itself is expected to hit the chopping block around 2024, continuing GM’s shift toward trucks, crossovers, and SUVs, all in the general theme of a heavy focus on EVs.

Following the Malibu was the Equinox’s corporate cousin, the GMC Terrain, which posted a 37 sales growth to 22,758 units. The Chevy Traverse was next with a 54 drop to 20,842 units. Rounding out the top five was the Chevy Trailblazer with 32 percent decline to 15,938.

The Bow Tie brand commanded GM unibody sales, providing 66 percent of all deliveries. Even the Chevy Corvette sold more than most Buick unibodies and all of Cadillac ones, posting an eight percent bump in sales to 8,630 units. GMC’s share was 14 percent, Buick’s was 11 percent, and Cadillac’s was nine percent.

Sales Numbers - Unibody Chevy Sales - Q2 2022 - USA

MODEL Q2 22 / Q2 21 Q2 22 Q2 21 Q2 22 SHARE Q2 21 SHARE YTD 22 / YTD 21 YTD 22 YTD 21
CHEVROLET CAMARO +62.79% 4,545 2,792 3% 1% +13.91% 11,255 9,881
CHEVROLET CORVETTE +8.27% 8,630 7,971 5% 4% +19.61% 17,441 14,582
CHEVROLET MALIBU +563.14% 32,487 4,899 18% 2% +82.43% 58,169 31,886
CHEVROLET SPARK -50.22% 3,860 7,754 2% 4% -78.51% 4,138 19,259
CHEVROLET BOLT EV -76.41% 2,561 10,857 1% 5% -86.76% 2,633 19,882
CHEVROLET BOLT EUV +979.83% 4,384 406 2% 0% +1,050.25% 4,670 406
CHEVROLET TRAX -46.10% 9,752 18,092 5% 9% -55.62% 15,553 35,047
CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER -31.72% 15,938 23,343 9% 12% -49.25% 24,544 48,367
CHEVROLET EQUINOX +9.37% 60,642 55,448 34% 28% -1.68% 116,678 118,666
CHEVROLET BLAZER -30.57% 14,296 20,590 8% 10% -16.94% 33,104 39,855
CHEVROLET TRAVERSE -54.09% 20,842 45,394 12% 23% -46.90% 44,306 83,431
TOTAL -9.93% 177,937 197,546 -21.07% 332,491 421,262

GM’s only two all-electric models currently on sale, the Chevy Bolt EV and Bolt EUV, saw a cumulative 38 percent drop in sales to 6,945 units, accounting for just three percent of deliveries. The decreased sales were the result of a slow return to sale after a recall, stop-sale and production stoppage stemming from a battery defect that caused fires in some models.

About The Numbers

Vince grew up in a GM family, likes manuals, and thinks this is the golden age of the automobile.

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Comments

  1. Amazing what happens when you build some Malibu’s, Camaros, and Cadillac sedans and get them to dealers/customers.

    Reply
    1. You mean Malibus. Without the gain in Malibus, the change would be 552 cars, less than 2%.

      Reply
  2. Yeah, typed it that way first, but looked like Mali-bus. Knew I made it possessive, as you got the point. Camaro did get a big year to year boost, but still low volume. Hate to see it go away again.

    Reply
  3. Understood that we are living in a very strange time in the automotive world. However, I’m going to say it.

    So the Malibu so far this year has outsold EVERY unibody SUV/CUV except the Equinox. Yet it’s being reported that the Malibu will be chopped around 2024. But with 16 SUV/CUV’s (including the Bolt EV/EUV), GM just keeps introducing or announcing more CUV’s. One after another. If they bring out a couple more and bundle several of those sales together, they will actually equal the Malibu sales. I’ll also point out that this article specifically states that the Buick sedan (car) owners are not converting over the the CUV’s. So they are leaving for????

    What the heck am I missing? Just don’t get it.

    Reply
    1. You’re ignoring the GMC/Buick/Cadilllac split. Acadia+Traverse+Enclave+XT6 beats Malibu. So both GM’s compact and mid-size SUVs are beating the Malibu.

      What you’re missing is volume does not mean profitability. Malibu sales are concentrated in fleet or car rental customers, especially government fleets since it’s the last American-brand sedan. Ford made the same decision and they’re way more into fleet sales than GM.

      Another problem is the Malibu isn’t a light truck like CUVs, and must meet a stricter CAFE standard.

      Reply
      1. Sam: And if GM offered the Malibu in the form of a Buick (Regal) and maybe even a Cadillac (base car), then you could also combine those sales and it would probably change the story.

        You’re grasping at straws my friend. Fact is, people do still want cars (NOT SUV’s) and as the sales of these boxes drop, GM will place them in fleet as well and then the profits will go down. Finally, let’s talk about lost sales due to lack of sedans? Yup, how does that hurt the bottom line?

        Reply
  4. The Malibu is a nice car, even in the 1.5 4cyl it gets you around with great mpg and handling. Sounds like the perfect candidate for the GM chopping block to be replaced with some electric junk.

    Reply
  5. Thank god. I thought I was the only one who wasn’t planning on trading in my sedan for a cookie cutter Grocery getter. Maybe as I get older, I will have an SUV as a second car. But as of now, my main car is my Malibu and weekend car is my Impala.

    Reply

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