General Motors dealers in the Middle East reported 12,264 total sales in April, a 29 per cent increase versus April a year ago, driven by GM’s recently launched passenger vehicles.

Combined sales of GM passenger cars increased by 38 per cent in April. Chevrolet sales rose by 33 per cent, while GMC sales increased by 26 per cent and Cadillac posted 21 per cent sales growth versus April a year ago, the auto company said in a statement.

Retail sales, those to individual customers, recorded an impressive 76 per cent growth versus last April with cars and SUVs up 158 per cent and 58 per cent respectively.

Combined retail sales of Aveo, Optra, Cruze and Malibu were up 306 per cent.
April deliveries to commercial accounts dropped by 25 per cent. Retail sales represented 73 per cent of total April sales.

“Our April sales are indicative of our continuous effort to drive profitable sales growth” said John Stadwick, president and managing director of GM Middle East Operations.

“We will strive to sustain these retail sales levels, particularly as we have several new vehicle launches planned for the remainder of the year.”

Combined sales for vehicles launched since September 2009 – Chevrolet Cruze, Malibu, Camaro and Captiva; GMC Terrain; and Cadillac SRX and CTS Coupe – jumped 33 per cent during April and are up 11 per cent for the year through April, the statement said.

The Chevrolet Malibu was the star performer with total sales up 62 per cent versus April a year ago and 25 per cent year to date.

Passenger Cars

Total sales of GM passenger cars improved 38 per cent during April, led by the sale of Aveos, Optras, Cruzes and Malibus. Retail sales of GM passenger cars climbed 158 per cent for the month. For the year to date, retail sales of GM’s passenger cars were up 160 per cent.

SUVs

The Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac brands April total SUV sales were up by 41 per cent. Retail sales of GM SUVs increased by 58 per cent during the month of April. For the year to date, retail sales of Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac SUVs improved by 13 per cent. Combined sales of full-size SUVs increased by 49 per cent in April. Chevrolet Tahoe posted best month since launch with 1,537 total sales. Retail sales for Tahoe were up 108 per cent for April.

Crossovers

Total combined sales of Chevrolet Captiva and Traverse, GMC Terrain and Accadia, and Cadillac SRX increased by 14 per cent with retail sales up by 6 per cent versus a year ago. For the year to date, retail sales for GM crossovers are down by 14 per cent.

Pickups

Total sales of Chevrolet Silverado, Avalanche and Colorado and GMC Sierra dropped by 12 per cent during April. Retail sales for GM pickups increased by 30 per cent. For the year to date, retail sales of GM pickups were up 46 per cent.

The strong performance in April represented a fourth consecutive month of double-digit sales growth of 19 per cent year to date, according to the statement. – TradeArabia News Service