General Motors ME sales rise 16pc in Q1
Dubai, April 10, 2011
General Motors Middle East reported a 16 per cent increase in total sales to 29,870 vehicles for the first quarter of the year, compared to the same period in 2010.
March saw total sales of 11,651 vehicles across Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC, which represented an increase of 13 per cent over March last year.
The strong performance in March, which represented a fourth consecutive month of double-digit growth, contributed to the robust Q1 performance, the company said.
Retail sales - purchases made by individual customers – in March soared 50 per cent and increased 40 per cent during the first quarter. Retail sales represented a healthy 72 per cent of the company’s total sales in the region in March and 69 per cent for the first quarter.
“GM Middle East had a good month and a solid first quarter of 2011, despite some unrest in the region and the tragic disasters in Japan,” said John Stadwick, president and managing director of GM Middle East Operations.
Combined sales for GM’s newly launched vehicles – the Chevrolet Cruze, Malibu, Camaro and Traverse; and Cadillac SRX and CTS Coupe – increased 39 per cent during March and were up 13 per cent for the first three months of the year.
Chevrolet posted vehicle sales growth of 22 per cent in March and 28 per cent for the first three months of 2011.
Total sales of GM’s passenger cars improved 22 per cent during March and grew by 33.5 per cent over the first quarter.
Across the Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac brands, total sales of Crossovers and Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) increased by 11 per cent in March. SUV sales for the first three months of 2011 were boosted by strong growth of the Chevrolet Tahoe and Chevrolet Suburban, which were up 25 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively, while sales of the Traverse crossover rose by 14 per cent.
Total sales of Chevrolet and GMC pickups were up 50 per cent in March and 74 per cent for the first quarter with a 115 per cent increase in sales of the Chevrolet Silverado and 67 per cent uplift in sales of the GMC Sierra in the first three months of the year.-TradeArabia News Service
