GM said it sold 275,847 vehicles in the U.S. in August, up 15 percent compared with a year ago. The sales were the highest of 2013 and the best since September 2008.
DETROIT- August was the best sales month for General Motors Co. in five years, officials reported Wednesday.
The Detroit-based automaker said it sold 275,847 vehicles in the U.S. in August, up 15 percent compared with a year ago. The sales were the highest of 2013 and the best since September 2008.
“The second half of 2013 is off to a very solid start for GM and our model-year change over and new product launches are going smoothly,” said Kurt McNeil, vice president of U.S. sales operations, in a statement.
All four of GM’s brands posted double-digit increases, with Cadillac leading the way with a 38 percent increase; followed by Buick up 37 percent, GMC up 14 percent and Chevrolet up 10 percent.
Through August, GM’s total U.S. sales are up 10 percent to more than 1.9 million vehicles sold.
“We have a lot of momentum and we feel good about the direction of the U.S. economy as we prepare to launch even more new products, including all-new heavy duty pickups and large SUVs for Chevrolet and GMC, a completely redesigned Cadillac CTS and the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray," McNeil said.
Top five GM models by units sold in August (2013 sales):
1. Chevrolet Silverado- 43,603 (328,269)
2. Chevrolet Equinox- 25,073 (169,977)
3. Chevrolet Cruze- 23,909 (183,045)
4. GMC Sierra- 18,017 (122,232)
5. Chevrolet Malibu- 16,890 (140,463)
Top five GM models by year-over-year sales in August (units sold):
1. Chevrolet Captiva- 132.8% (5,735)
2. GMC Yukon XL- 74.3% (2,779)
3. Chevrolet Spark- 72.4% (4,534)
4. Cadillac XTS- 63.7% (3,533)
5. Cadillac SRX- 38.6% (7,211)
GM is the last of the Detroit automakers to release August sales results. Earlier today, crosstown rivals Chrysler Group LLC and Ford Motor Co. both reported 12 percent sales gains in August compared to a year ago.
Automotive analysts expect August to be a healthy month, with U.S. sales up about 13 percent to nearly 1.5 million vehicles sold.