GM MARCH SALES DOWN 45%

[FenwickHockey65]

GM Reports 156,380 Deliveries in March


* "GM Total Confidence" brings peace of mind in uncertain times with Payment Protection and Vehicle Value Protection
* GM total sales up 23 percent compared with February as spring selling season begins
* GM's award-winning crossovers drive March sales as Chevrolet Traverse sales of more than 6,500 vehicles helps push GM mid-utility crossover segment sales up 10 percent compared with last March
* Pontiac G8 sales nearly triple compared with a year ago

DETROIT - General Motors dealers in the United States delivered 156,380 vehicles in March, down 45 percent compared with a year ago. However, comparing March sales with February, 7 of 8 GM brands saw total sales increases with total volume up 23 percent, or more than 29,000 cars, crossovers and trucks. GM's car sales compared with February were up more than 15,000 vehicles (28 percent), truck sales were up nearly 11,000 vehicles (23 percent), and crossover sales increased more than 3,000 vehicles (12 percent) .

"Sales for GM and the industry showed signs of life at the end of the month compared with January and February. In April, we're stepping up to the plate to get a rally underway with 'GM Total Confidence,' our unprecedented customer protection package," said Mark LaNeve, vice president, GM North America Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "We are encouraged by actions taken by the Federal government to stabilize the industry and stimulate demand. As we continue the reinvention of General Motors, our brands are adding even more world-class, fuel-efficient cars and crossovers to their portfolios. We will also continue to add even more fuel economy technology to our trucks."

When compared with March a year ago, GM total car sales of 68,877 were off 41 percent and total truck sales (including crossovers) of 87,503 were down 47 percent.

Compared with February, total Chevrolet sales were up 25 percent. Specifically, cars were up 28 percent, trucks were up 25 percent and crossovers increased 19 percent. Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups gained strength in March, when compared with February, with retail sales up 17 and 27 percent, respectfully.

Chevrolet's crossover portfolio of HHR, Equinox and Traverse combined for 14,844 total sales in March, a 19 percent increase compared with February. In addition, Malibu has increased retail sales for the first three months this year, with sales up 7 percent compared with the same period a year ago.

"We had a strong close at the end of the month as customers responded to strong incentives, President Obama's positive statements about GM, and the government backing domestic warranties," LaNeve added. "Customers told us they wanted a manufacturer to look out for them, and that's exactly what the 'GM Total Confidence' program does."

A total of 1,612 GM hybrid vehicles were delivered in the month, illustrating the wide range of hybrid product offerings available. GM offers the Chevrolet Malibu, Tahoe and Silverado, GMC Yukon and Sierra, Cadillac Escalade, Saturn Aura and Vue hybrids. So far, in 2009, GM has delivered 3,622 hybrid vehicles.

GM inventories dropped compared with a year ago. At the end of March, only about 765,000 vehicles were in stock, down about 108,000 vehicles (or 12 percent) compared with last year. There were about 332,000 cars and 433,000 trucks (including crossovers) in inventory at the end of March. Inventories were reduced about 15,000 vehicles compared with February.

Certified Used Vehicles

The challenging economic environment had an effect on March 2009 year-over-year GM certified total sales. GM Certified Used Vehicles, Saturn Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, and HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, combined sold 32,788 vehicles.

GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry's top-selling certified brand, posted March sales of 28,000 vehicles, down 27 percent from March 2008. Saturn Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 974 vehicles, down 6 percent. Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 3,143 vehicles, down 5 percent. Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 436 vehicles, down 16 percent. However, one brand showed strong results for the month - HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 235 vehicles, up 44 percent.

"Although March sales were down, we're confident more shoppers will seek the quality and value that GM certification offers," said LaNeve. "In uncertain times, Certified Used Vehicles offer consumers the peace of mind that comes with factory backed warranties, such as the 12-month/12,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, reinforcing the durability and reliability of our vehicles."

GM North America reports March 2009 production; Q1 2009 production reported at 372,000 vehicles; Q2 2009 production forecast remains at 550,000 vehicles

In March, GM North America produced 170,000 vehicles (73,000 cars and 97,000 trucks). This is down 67,000 vehicles or 28 percent compared with March 2008 when the region produced 237,000 vehicles (124,000 cars and 113,000 trucks). (Production totals include joint venture production of 8,000 vehicles in March 2009 and 20,000 vehicles in March 2008.)

The region's 2009 first-quarter production was 372,000 vehicles (116,000 cars and 256,000 trucks), which is down about 58 percent compared with a year ago. GM North America built 885,000 vehicles (360,000 cars and 525,000 trucks) in the first-quarter of 2008.

The region's 2009 second-quarter production forecast remains at 550,000 vehicles (195,000 cars and 355,000 trucks), which is down about 34 percent compared with a year ago. GM North America built 834,000 vehicles (382,000 cars and 452,000 trucks) in the second-quarter of 2008.

Link with sales chart

[radz28]

... Eek! We'll see what the latest changes do for GM...

[FenwickHockey65]

Competition...

Ford: 131,102 units sold, Down 41%
Chrysler: 101,001 units sold, Down 39%
Toyota: 132,802 units sold, Down 39%
Honda: 88,379 units sold, Down 36%
Nissan: 66,634 units sold, Down 37%

[Maddog78]

It's not all bad news though. Up from February and some models are selling fairly well.

[FenwickHockey65]

Originally Posted by Maddog78

It's not all bad news though. Up from February and some models are selling fairly well.

Especially...

Pontiac G8: 2,939 units sold, up 278.2%

[Vash]

Corvette plant is closed right now 1st time in 40 years I think.

[FxsX24]

this is actually good (in ytd terms)

[PQ]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Especially...

Pontiac G8: 2,939 units sold, up 278.2%

And Camaro sales up Infinity percent from last year 14,000 sold, last year 0.

[Dan]

Sales are better than last month but still lower than last year. Not really a surprise there. Everyone is down compared to last year.

[SS 376]

I think things will start to improve from here. How much worse do you get than losing just about half your sales?

[kopacko]

Originally Posted by Can-Am

I think things will start to improve from here. How much worse do you get than losing just about half your sales?

Go out of business?

[diddiyo]

Originally Posted by Can-Am

I think things will start to improve from here. How much worse do you get than losing just about half your sales?

the job market is not getting better, banks are still not giving out credits, people are holding on to their money.

btw, here's the complete lost of manufacturers.

[UCF w00t]

Originally Posted by irpq11

And Camaro sales up Infinity percent from last year 14,000 sold, last year 0.

I know you're just kidding or what not but the Camaros hitting the books should be a decent boost once they start getting delivered. Think about it... 4000+ in a month is pretty good numbers.

[Hylton]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

Especially...

Pontiac G8: 2,939 units sold, up 278.2%

Might be up 287% but that's a bit misleading. Car was old model/platform last year. 3,000 units is disappointing to me since Oshawa is currently on track to build 4,000 Camaros this month.

[The_Blur]

Why do they keep reporting the numbers? If anything, this only makes consumer confidence worse. We all know that the automakers are doing worse than last year. We don't need to know how much worse. Telling us how much only allows for those poorly written articles to scare potential buyers from buying. If they didn't get a fresh reminder of how crappy the economy is today, a few thousand more people might have bought cars today.

[Hylton]

Originally Posted by The_Blur

Why do they keep reporting the numbers? If anything, this only makes consumer confidence worse. We all know that the automakers are doing worse than last year. We don't need to know how much worse. Telling us how much only allows for those poorly written articles to scare potential buyers from buying. If they didn't get a fresh reminder of how crappy the economy is today, a few thousand more people might have bought cars today.

So true!