.

.
April 02, 2003
.
This Week:

• The All-New 2004 BMW 5 Series

• 3200 Deposits taken for the new Bentley Continental GT

• GM's New 3.6L V-6 VVT To Debut In 2004 Cadillac CTS

• Chrysler Group Reports U.S. March Sales

• PSA Peugeot Citroën Porto Real Plant in Brazil To Start Citroën C3 Production

• Renault presents new-generation particulate filter

• Toyota To Unveil Second Generation Prius And Camry Solara At The 2003 New York International Auto Show

• Volkswagen do Brasil celebrates its 50th anniversary

• GM Reports March Sales Of 391,752, Down 3 Percent

• BMW Group and Brilliance Sign Joint Venture Contract for Planned Production in China

© 1998 - 2003 Copyright & 
Disclaimer
Automotive Intelligence,
www.autointell.com
All Rights Reserved .
For questions please contact
editor@autointell.com  

.
GM Reports March Sales Of 391,752, Down 3 Percent
 

Truck sales comparable to year-ago, driven by full-size pickup and utility sales Luxury vehicle sales continue to grow; Cadillac up 16 percent DETROIT - General Motors Corp. dealers sold 391,752 new cars and trucks in March in the United States. This is a modest 3 percent decline versus March 2002. GM's overall truck sales (226,586) were down slightly, with sales accelerating 11 percent over February 2003. Car sales in March (165,166) were down 5 percent, with a 5 percent improvement over February.

"Despite current economic uncertainty, industry sales remain solid, in part due to across-the-board incentive activity by all manufacturers," said John Smith, group vice president of GM North America Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "GM's results show improvement both in unit sales and share over the quarter. We'll build upon this with the 'Zero to Sixty' campaign that is effective today. Additionally, we are pleased with our richer mix, reflecting the continuing improvement of truck sales, which made up 62 percent of our retail volume in March. And, we continue to experience sales gains at Cadillac, HUMMER, Saturn and Saab, as well as with our new vehicle introductions, including the all-new Pontiac Grand Prix launched just last month. We expect momentum to continue to build with 15 more new vehicle launches before year-end."

GM Truck Sales

GM total truck sales were comparable to year-ago levels. Importantly, full-size pickup sales were up 7.5 percent. Total utility vehicle sales for the month (98,486) were in line with year-ago levels, and GM achieved March record sales for a number of utilities, including Saturn VUE, Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy and Cadillac Escalade.

GM Car Sales

Saturn and Cadillac cars had strong sales in March, with increases of 16 percent and 10.5 percent, respectively. Saturn ION continued to gain momentum with 13,057 sales. March sales records were posted for Chevrolet Impala (21,962), Pontiac Vibe (7,810), and Cadillac CTS (4,588). GM's luxury car sales were up 8 percent for March and up over 4 percent calendar-year-to-date, driven by strong sales of the Cadillac CTS and new Saab 9-3.

Certified Used Vehicles

GM's industry leading certified vehicle program sold approximately 39,544 total certified used vehicles in March, including the Cadillac, Saturn and Saab certified brands. The GM Certified Used Vehicle brand alone posted solid numbers, selling 33,022 vehicles, which is 47 percent higher than last year. "In light of the current economic circumstances, we are pleased with the continued growth of our dealers' certified used business," said Smith.

GM Announces March and Q1 Production Results; Q2 2003 Production Forecast Remains Unchanged

In March, GM North America produced 489,000 vehicles (184,000 cars and 305,000 trucks) in North America, compared to 481,000 vehicles (206,000 cars and 275,000 trucks) produced in March 2002. (Production totals include joint venture production of 14,000 vehicles in March 2003 and 10,000 vehicles in March 2002.)

Also, GM North America built 1.451 million vehicles (592,000 cars and 859,000 trucks) in the first quarter of 2003. In the first quarter of 2002, GM North America built 1.353 million vehicles (600,000 cars and 753,000 trucks).

GM's 2003 second-quarter production forecast for North America remains unchanged at 1.39 million units (557,000 cars and 833,000 trucks). In the second quarter of 2002, GM North America built 1.553 million vehicles (688,000 cars and 865,000 trucks). In the second quarter of 2002, GM North America built 1.553 million vehicles (688,000 cars and 865,000 trucks).

GM also announced current 2003 second-quarter production forecasts for its international regions:

GM Europe - The region's revised second-quarter production forecast is 492,000 units. GM Europe built 453,000 units in the second quarter of 2002.

GM Asia Pacific - GM Asia Pacific's revised second-quarter forecast is 81,000 vehicles. GM Asia Pacific built 74,000 vehicles in the second quarter of 2002.

GM Latin America, Africa and the Middle East - The region's revised second quarter production forecast is 153,000 units, compared to 141,000 units built in the second quarter of 2002.

(April 1, 2003)