In August of 2009, the Cash 4 Clunkers process was in full swing, helping to inflate sales numbers. That was good news then but without the government assistance, the numbers for August 2010 show plenty of negative growth across every major automaker in the US. General Motors was in that group with a negative growth of 10.6% but Cadillac, Buick and GMC all had strong months – finished with positive growth.
Cadillac was the top brand for GM in terms of growth with 83% more vehicles sold in August 2010 than August of 2009. The insanely popular SRX crossover continued to be the top seller with 4,325 units sold followed by the CTS lineup with just under 4,200 sedans, coupes and wagons sold. The SRX was also the best performer for Cadillac in terms of growth but surprisingly, the DTS stepped it up in August, selling 1,896 units for a growth of 128%.
Next, the reborn Buick brand continued their assault on the auto industry with a 66% improvement over August of 2009. The top seller was once again the new LaCrosse with 5,339 units sold, followed by the Enclave and the Lucerne. The 2011 Buick Regal continued to see its numbers grow as 1,704 new Regals reached the hands of consumers last month.
The GMC brand was next, with an overall growth of 12.3% in August. The Sierra pickup was the best mover, with 11,640 trucks sold followed by the Acadia (4,223) and the Terrain (4,189).
Finally, the Chevrolet brand pulls up the rear as the only existing brand in the company to show a decline in growth for August. Most likely caused by the Cash 4 Clunkers sales boom last year, Chevy saw a drop of 21.5% as they sold just 131,952 vehicles last month. The Silverado pickup was the best-seller, with just over 34,000 trucks sold. The Malibu and Impala were 2nd and 3rd in monthly sales with the Traverse SUV and HHR rolling up 4th and 5th. For the first time in several months, the Chevy Camaro outsold the Ford Mustang and the Camaro ended up being the 6th best selling model in August 2010… who says the muscle car is dead?
General Motors does not include the discontinued brands in their numbers above, but for those keeping track at home, the Hummer brand sold 205 vehicles last month, Saturn sold 43 and sadly, the once-mighty Pontiac brand saw just 7 vehicles sold in August 2010.
Numbers are down for General Motors but in the next few months we can expect to see a spike in sales, especially from Chevrolet who will benefit from the production of the new Volt and Cruze. Check out the gallery below for a look at the 2011 Chevy Cruze in the GM wind tunnel and stay tuned to your Detroit Autos Examiner for all of your breaking news from around town and around the world!
For more current Big 3 news, check out these links:
August sales numbers: Chrysler leads the Big 3, only company to show growth
Muscle car sales for August 2010: the Camaro battles back
2011 Chevrolet Volt production to begin on November 11
General Motors celebrates the first Chevy Volts in China
2011 Buick Regal receives IIHS Top Safety Pick award
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