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GM Truck Sales Continue Momentum: SUVs on Industry Record Pace

FOR RELEASE: September 4, 2001

GM Truck Sales Continue Momentum: SUVs on Industry Record Pace

GM Announces August Production Results and 3rd and 4th Quarter Estimates

  • Industry on target for Third-Best All-Time Sales
  • GM Truck Sales Up 7%; Passenger Cars Down 20%
  • Overall August Sales Down 7%

DETROIT -- General Motors dealers sold 403,258 new cars and trucks in August in the United States, a 7 percent decline from August 2000. Industry sales moderated in August but are on track for the third-best sales year.

"We are very pleased that GM's leading lineup of truck brands continued to pace the industry, especially our midsize and full-size utilities and full-size pickups," said Bill Lovejoy, group vice president of North America Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "Despite an extremely competitive market, GM's share continued to stabilize and we have made good progress in improving our product mix, managing our fleet volumes, reducing our total inventory and moving out our 2001 models."

GM Sales Highlights

GM and its dealers continued to have robust truck sales in August led by midsize utilities, full-size utilities and full-size pickups. The strongest results in August came once again from sport utility vehicle (SUV) sales, keeping GM on pace to set an all-time industry SUV calendar year sales record. GM's full-size utilities (41,352) dominated the industry once again in August on the strength of Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Yukon XL as well as increased sales of the all-new Cadillac Escalade. GM's all-new midsize SUV lineup, the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy and Oldsmobile Bravada and Buick Rendezvous continued to gain sales momentum. GM maintained its leadership in full-size pickups in August (76,586) and is on pace for the best year since 1978.

As new and innovative entries Buick Rendezvous, Chevrolet Avalanche and Cadillac Escalade increase in availability, GM expects its strong truck sales performance will continue in the second half.

August Sales Records
GM Trucks
Chevrolet Trucks
GM Utilities
Chevrolet Utilities
GMC Utilities
GM Large Utilities
Chevrolet Large Utilities
GMC Large Utilities
Chevrolet Tahoe
GMC Yukon and Yukon XL
Cadillac Escalade
Chevrolet Impala
Saab
Saab 9-5
CYTD Records
GM Utilities
GM Large Utilities
Chevrolet Utilities
GMC Utilities
GM Small Utilities
GM Mid-Utilities
Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban
GMC Yukon and Yukon XL
Cadillac Escalade
Chevrolet Tracker
Chevrolet Impala
Saab 9-5

 

 Click here to view the General Motors Corporation August 2001 Sales and Production data

GM Announces August and 3rd- & 4th-Quarter 2001 Estimates

In August, GM produced 508,000 vehicles (236,000 cars and 272,000 trucks) in North America, down from 561,000 vehicles (295,000 cars and 266,000 trucks) produced in August 2000. (Production totals include joint venture production of 11,600 vehicles in August 2001 and 14,000 vehicles in August 2000.)

GM announced that the third-quarter production estimate will be largely unchanged from recent guidance at 1.232 million vehicles (569,000 cars and 663,000 trucks), up slightly from the prior estimate of 1.230 million vehicles (567,000 cars and 663,000 trucks). It is a 6.6 percent decline from the 1.319 million vehicles (689,000 cars and 630,000 trucks) GM produced in the third quarter of 2000.

Additionally, GM announced that the fourth-quarter production estimate will be 1.318 million vehicles (597,000 cars and 721,000 trucks), down 3.3 percent from 1.364 million vehicles (670,000 cars and 694,000 trucks) produced in the fourth quarter of 2000.

GM also announced the following production estimates for its international regions:

  • GM Europe – The third-quarter estimate is 378,000, down from the previous estimate of 387,000 vehicles. The fourth-quarter estimate is 436,000, down from the 513,000 vehicles produced in the fourth quarter 2000.
  • GM Asia Pacific – The third-quarter estimate is 75,000 vehicles, down from the previous estimate of 81,000. The fourth-quarter estimate is 84,000, up from the 47,000 produced in the fourth quarter 2000.
  • GM Latin America, Africa and the Middle East – The third-quarter estimate is 146,000 vehicles, down from the previous estimate of 157,000. The fourth-quarter estimate is 154,000, up from the 135,000 vehicles produced in the fourth quarter 2000.

Note: GM sales and production results are available on GM Media Online at http://media.gm.com by clicking on the Sales/Production icon.

In this press release and related comments by General Motors management, our use of the words "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," forecast," "objective," "plan," "goal" and similar expressions is intended to identify forward looking statements. While these statements represent our current judgement on what the future may hold, and we believe these judgements are reasonable, actual results may differ materially due to numerous important factors that are described in GM's most recent report on SEC Form 10-K (at page II-20) which may be revised or supplemented in subsequent reports on SEC Forms 10-Q and 8-K. Such factors include, among others, the following: changes in economic conditions, currency exchange rates or political stability; shortages of fuel, labor strikes or work stoppages; market acceptance of the corporation's new products; significant changes in the competitive environment; changes in laws, regulations and tax rates; and, the ability of the corporation to achieve reductions in cost and employment levels to realize production efficiencies and implement capital expenditures at levels and times planned by management.

 

August

Calendar Year-to-Date
January - August

Curr S/D: 27
Prev S/D: 27

2001

2000

% Chg
per S/D

2001

2000

% Chg

Vehicle Total

403,258

435,597

-7.4

3,235,110

3,470,961

-6.8

Car Total

190,366

237,055

-19.7

1,574,488

1,787,356

-11.9

Truck Total

212,892

198,542

7.2

1,660,622

1,683,605

-1.4

Light Truck Total

209,733

195,746

7.1

1,632,077

1,654,345

-1.3

Light Vehicle Total

400,099

432,801

-7.6

3,206,565

3,441,701

-6.8

 

August

Calendar Year-to-Date
January - August

Market Division
Vehicle Total

2001

2000

% Chg
per S/D

2001

2000

% Chg

Buick

46,764

42,715

9.5

263,809

284,773

-7.4

Cadillac

13,772

16,816

-18.1

108,028

128,994

-16.3

Chevrolet

208,902

222,994

-6.3

1,745,577

1,834,138

-4.8

GMC

43,694

42,047

3.9

350,257

370,670

-5.5

Hummer

48

53

-9.4

527

649

-18.8

Oldsmobile

19,205

22,577

-14.9

172,688

202,001

-14.5

Other - Isuzu

1,559

0

***.*

10,834

0

***.*

Pontiac

47,992

58,753

-18.3

375,618

429,617

-12.6

Saab

4,223

3,753

12.5

24,339

25,133

-3.2

Saturn

17,099

25,889

-34.0

183,433

194,986

-5.9

Sales of Domestically Produced Vehicles

Car

185,361

232,007

-20.1

1,541,919

1,749,743

-11.9

Light Truck

209,733

195,746

7.1

1,632,077

1,654,345

-1.3

Twenty-seven selling days for the August period this year and twenty-seven for last year.

* American Isuzu Motors, Inc., dealer sales of commercial vehicles distributed by General Motors Corporation as reported to General Motors by American Isuzu Motors, Inc.

Please Note: The Light sub-totals will be different than reported the prior year due to the implementation of 2001 Segmentation, which moved some Light Trucks to Medium.