October Auto Sales: GM Leads Mainstreamers with 15.7 Percent Gain

2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray ・ Photo by Mitsubishi Motors North America

With three divisions scoring double-digit sales gains in October and the fourth, Cadillac, lifting deliveries by 9.5 percent, General Motors as a whole sold 226,402 vehicles last month for a 15.7 percent improvement. The total included some fairly impressive results from the retail side of the business, too: GM’s overall retail sales climbed 16.1 percent in October, backed by double-digit retail gains at all four divisions.

As far as the brands’ overall October sales, they looked like this:

• Chevrolet—155,214 sales, +14.7 percent, thanks to 13 double-digit gainers that included its entire SUV/crossover team
• GMC—38,841 sales, +15.7 percent, with an all-time October sales record from the GMC Terrain
• Buick—17,555 sales, +31.2 percent, in the division’s 18th straight month of sales growth
• Cadillac—14,792 sales, +9.5 percent, as the 2014 Cadillac SRX remains on pace for an annual sales record with just two months left in the 2013 selling season

And while GM cars certainly put up some gaudy numbers last month—see the 236.7 percent advance in ’Vette sales now that the 2014 Chevy Corvette Stingray is at dealerships—it’s the automaker’s trucks that are being counted on for more future success.

“Chevrolet, Cadillac and Buick-GMC all performed well in the month, and the sales tempo really picked up after the government shutdown ended,” said Kurt McNeil, vice president, U.S. sales operations. “We are particularly pleased with our truck momentum. Chevrolet and GMC have the newest and best light duty trucks, sales are accelerating and we are gearing up for the second, third and fourth phases of our strategic truck plan.”

October Auto Sales: A 2014 Buick Regal Revival

Along with the Bowtie Brand’s baker’s dozen, a number of other GM vehicles also grew volumes by more than 10 percent, but the biggest surprise might have been from Buick. Even as tough competition has driven the Regal’s year-to-date sales down by more than 30 percent, the 2014 Buick Regal saw a surge in demand last month that resulted in 2,153 deliveries, marking a 46.9 percent improvement over sales in October 2012.

Much less of a shock were the October sales for the 2014 Chevy Impala and Stingray, since the all-new Chevrolet products have earned a steady stream of praise in the days leading up to their launch. As a result, the Impala sold 11,713 units that were 40 percent higher than in the same month last year—complemented by retail sales that rose even faster—and the Corvette’s previously mentioned triple-digit increase represented 3,929 sales.

From the rest of the GM lineup, October sales standouts included:

2014 Cadillac ATS—2,782 sales, up 119.7 percent

2014 Chevrolet Malibu—15,746 sales, up 63.5 percent

2014 Chevrolet Silverado—42,660 sales, up 10.1 percent

2014 Chevrolet Sonic—6,850 sales, up 24.7 percent

2014 Chevrolet Suburban—5,648 sales, up 57.1 percent

2014 Chevrolet Traverse—6,365 sales, up 17.1 percent

2014 GMC Acadia—6,882 sales, up 22.6 percent

2014 GMC Sierra—16,503 sales, up 13.3 percent

2014 GMC Yukon—3,021 sales, up 32 percent

2014 GMC Yukon XL—3,489 sales, up 52 percent