Chevrolet leads GM to 16% sales increase in July

Led by strong performances for all of its brands, General Motors Co. Thursday reported a 16.3 percent increase in sales last month compared to a year ago.

The Detroit-based automaker reported sales last month totaled 234,071 vehicles.

“For GM, July was the most well-balanced month of the year from a retail sales standpoint: trucks were hot, but so were small cars and family vehicles,” said Kurt McNeil, vice president, U.S. sales operations, in a statement. “Our experience shows that the difference between good sales and great sales in a slow-growth economy is how many new products you have to offer, and we are starting to hit our sweet spot.”

All four of GM’s brands posted double-digit increases, with Chevrolet leading the way with a 17.1 percent increase; followed by Cadillac up 16.7 percent, GMC up 14.1 percent and Buick up 13.9 percent.
Through July, GM’s total U.S. sales were up 9.1 percent to nearly 1.7 million vehicles sold.

GM is the last of the Detroit automakers to release July sales results. Earlier today, crosstown rivals Chrysler Group LLC and Ford Motor Co. both reported 11 percent sales gains in July compared to a year ago.

Automotive analysts predict July 2013 sales to total about 1.3 million cars and trucks sold.

Top five GM models by units sold in July (2013 sales):

1. Chevrolet Silverado- 42,080 (284,666)

2. Chevrolet Cruze- 25,447 (159,136)

3. Chevrolet Equinox- 18,507 (144,904)

4. GMC Sierra- 16,582 (104,215)

5. Chevrolet Impala- 12,915 (96,297)

Top five GM models by year-over-year sales in July (units sold):

1. Chevrolet Spark- 163.5% (3,847)

2. Chevrolet Cruze- 70.2% (25,447)

3. Cadillac XTS- 69.1% (2,940)

4. GMC Sierra- 49.3% (16,582)

5. Chevrolet Silverado- 45.2% (42,080)