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GM Reports March 2004 Sales of 414,949, Up 6 Percent

Industry-Leading Truck Sales Up 7.5 Percent in First Quarter
Cadillac Continues Its Momentum With Best-Ever CTS Sales

DETROIT - General Motors dealers sold 414,949 new cars and trucks in March, up 6 percent compared to March 2003. GM's truck sales (235,521) were up 4 percent and car sales (179,428) were up 9 percent. Total first-quarter sales (1,067,116) were up 5 percent. Truck sales in the first quarter (606,224) improved 7.5 percent, and car sales (460,892) gained 1.5 percent.

"Sales momentum continued to build for GM in March, with double-digit increases at Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac and Buick," said John Smith, group vice president, GM North America Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "Our industry-leading truck portfolio produced a 7.5 percent sales gain in the first quarter, and we expect further growth this year with the addition of new products like the Chevrolet Colorado and Equinox, Cadillac SRX, GMC Envoy XUV and Canyon. Additionally, all of our launch vehicles experienced their best sales so far this year."

GM Truck Sales

GM's industry-leading truck lineup had a 4 percent sales improvement compared to year-ago levels and a 7.5 percent increase in the first quarter. GM continues to establish full-size pickup industry benchmarks and is on track to sell 1 million units in 2004. GM led the industry in full-size pickup truck sales in March (82,673), a 4 percent increase for the month and an 8.5 percent improvement for the first quarter (210,456). Chevrolet full-size pickup deliveries (65,163) were up 3 percent compared to March 2003, and GMC Sierra sales (17,510) improved 10 percent.

Sales of sport utility vehicles (104,594) were up 5 percent in March, setting a new monthly record. GM utility sales in the first quarter (285,661) improved 14 percent. Mid-size utilities had brisk sales in March, with 47,883 deliveries, a 14 percent increase and 130,689 sales for the first quarter, a 9 percent gain. Sales of large utilities in March (35,878) were 4 percent above year-ago levels and up 26 percent for the first quarter (101,842).

GM Car Sales

GM's car sales increased by 9 percent in March compared to last year. Deliveries of GM mid-size cars were up 18 percent (104,726). Pontiac Grand Prix had 14,607 deliveries, an 87 percent increase, and Grand Am sales (14,434) were up 30 percent. Chevrolet Impala had 30,175 deliveries, a 37 percent improvement over last year's sales performance. GM's key launch vehicles showed increasing sales momentum including the Chevrolet Malibu (12,997), which had a 36 percent improvement over last month, and Aveo (3,477) with a 13 percent increase.

Divisional Highlights

Chevrolet - Total Chevrolet sales in March (233,412) were up 10 percent. Chevrolet continued its leadership in the mid-size car segment, with a 40 percent increase in sales compared to year-ago levels. Overall, Chevrolet car sales (83,250) improved 32.5 percent, paced by monthly record sales of Impala, which gained 37 percent and increasing momentum of Malibu and Aveo sales. First-quarter sales of TrailBlazer (61,675) were up 12 percent, and Tahoe (42,411) deliveries increased 24 percent.

Cadillac - Cadillac sales (19,431) rose 16 percent in March, providing its best March sales performance since 1990. Truck sales (7,772) were up 73 percent, led by record sales of the Escalade portfolio (4,923), up 10 percent from year-ago levels and increasing sales of the

SRX (2,849), up 15 percent over February. CTS continued its record-breaking sales performance for Cadillac cars with best-ever monthly deliveries (6,057), a 32 percent improvement over last year and record first-quarter sales (14,173), up 29 percent.

GMC - GMC sales in March (50,094) gained 15.5 percent over last year and 21 percent in the first quarter (130,463). Envoy sales (11,656) were up 24.5 percent in March and 21 percent in the first quarter (30,924). Yukon had record deliveries in March (7,087), a 19 percent increase, and record first-quarter deliveries (20,456), up 46 percent. Yukon XL first-quarter sales (13,219) gained 27 percent.

Pontiac - Total Pontiac sales (47,990) increased 25 percent from year-ago levels. Car deliveries (42,055) improved 30 percent. Grand Prix sales were up 87 percent in March, with 14,607 deliveries and 57 percent in the first quarter (38,612). Grand Am sales (14,434) increased 30 percent in March and 11.5 percent in the first quarter (37,246).

HUMMER - HUMMER sales were 2,334. H2 deliveries were 2,300, reflecting a sales increase over February.

Buick - Buick sales were up 18 percent in March (29,490). LeSabre deliveries were 9,526, an 18 percent improvement over last year. Truck sales (8,202) were up 68 percent. Rendezvous sales (6,072) gained 24 percent, setting a new March sales record. Rainier had its highest number of deliveries to date (2,130).

Certified Used Vehicles

March sales for all GM certified used vehicle brands - including GM Certified Used Vehicles, Cadillac, Saturn and Saab - were 44,734 units, up nearly 15 percent from 2003.

GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry's top-selling manufacturer-certified used brand, led the way with record March sales of 37,724 units, a 17 percent increase over March 2003 and the strongest single-month sales performance in the history of the certified pre-owned segment. GM Certified Used Vehicles also set a new category record for quarterly sales, with sales of 109,450 units in the first quarter of 2004.

GM Certified Used Vehicles also reached an important milestone in March, selling its one-millionth unit.

Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles posted sales of 2,979 units in March, up 10 percent from March 2003; Used Cars from Saturn sold 3,285 units, comparable to year-ago figures; and Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 746 units, up 6 percent.

"With the sale of its one-millionth vehicle, as well as new one-month and quarterly sales records for the certified pre-owned industry segment, GM Certified Used Vehicles continues to grow its position as America's top-selling certified brand," Smith said.

GM North America Announces March and 2004 First-Quarter Production Results; 2004 Second-Quarter Production Forecast Remains Unchanged At 1.38 Million Units

In March, GM North America produced 530,100 vehicles (206,500 cars and 323,600 trucks) in North America, compared to 488,500 vehicles (183,400 cars and 305,100 trucks) produced in March 2003. Production totals include joint venture production of 18,000 vehicles in March 2004 and 14,000 vehicles in March 2003.

Also, GM North America built 1.345 million vehicles (524,000 cars and 821,000 trucks) in the first quarter of 2004. In the first quarter of 2003, GM North America produced 1.451 million vehicles (591,100 cars and 860,000 trucks).

In addition, GM North America's current 2004 second-quarter production forecast remains unchanged at 1.38 million vehicles (539,000 cars and 841,000 trucks). In the second quarter of 2003, GM North America built 1.381 million vehicles (544,000 cars and 837,000 trucks).

GM also announced current 2004 first-quarter and second-quarter production forecasts for its international regions:

GM Europe - The region's current 2004 first-quarter production forecast is unchanged at 463,000 vehicles. The region's current 2004 second-quarter production forecast is 506,000 vehicles, down 4,000 vehicles compared to last month's guidance of 510,000 vehicles. GM Europe built 488,000 units in the second quarter of 2003.

GM Asia Pacific - The region's current 2004 first-quarter production forecast remains unchanged at 116,000 vehicles. GM Asia Pacific's current second-quarter forecast is 149,000 vehicles, up 3,000 vehicles from last month's initial forecast of 146,000 vehicles. GM Asia Pacific built 90,000 vehicles in the second quarter of 2003.

GM Latin America, Africa and the Middle East - The region's current 2004 first-quarter production forecast remains unchanged at 160,000 vehicles. The region's current second-quarter production forecast is 167,000 vehicles, down 6,000 vehicles from last month's initial forecast of 173,000 vehicles. The region built 128,000 vehicles in the second quarter of 2003.

General Motors Corp. , the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, employs about 325,000 people globally in its core automotive business and subsidiaries. Founded in 1908, GM has been the global automotive sales leader since 1931. GM today has manufacturing operations in 32 countries, and its vehicles are sold in 192 countries. In 2003, GM sold nearly 8.6 million cars and trucks, about 15 percent of the global vehicle market. GM's global headquarters is at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit. More information on GM and its products can be found on the company's consumer website at www.gm.com.

Note: GM sales and production results are available on GM Media OnLine at http://media.gm.com by clicking on News, then Sales/Production. 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 judgment on what the future may hold, and we believe these judgments 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-18) 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.

 

 

March

Calendar Year-to-Date
January - March

Curr S/D: 26

2004

2003

% Chg
per S/D

2004

2003

%Chg

Prev S/D: 26

Vehicle Total

414,949

391,752

5.9

1,067,116

1,018,410

4.8

Car Total

179,428

165,166

8.6

460,892

454,259

1.5

Truck Total

235,521

226,586

3.9

606,224

564,151

7.5

Light Truck Total

231,490

222,620

4.0

596,259

555,731

7.3

Light Vehicle Total

410,918

387,786

6.0

1,057,151

1,009,990

4.7

Buick

29,490

24,900

18.4

78,012

83,289

-6.3

Cadillac

19,431

16,706

16.3

51,175

46,260

10.6

Chevrolet

233,412

211,898

10.2

600,843

543,390

10.6

GMC

50,094

43,362

15.5

130,463

108,029

20.8

HUMMER

2,334

3,069

-23.9

6,402

8,639

-25.9

Oldsmobile

6,652

13,150

-49.4

17,031

33,411

-49.0

Other - Isuzu

1,064

1,259

-15.5

2,861

2,856

0.2

Pontiac

47,990

38,501

24.6

120,358

107,033

12.4

Saab

3,702

4,736

-21.8

8,050

10,885

-26.0

Saturn

20,780

34,171

-39.2

51,921

74,618

-30.4

Sales of Domestically Produced Vehicles

Car

171,530

160,428

6.9

443,158

443,369

0.0

Light Truck

231,490

222,620

4.0

596,259

555,731

7.3

Twenty-six selling days for the March period this year and twenty-six 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.

2-1P
GM Car Deliveries - (United States)
March 2004

 

March

Calendar Year-to-Date
January - March

2004

2003

%Chg
per S/D

2004

2003

%Chg

Selling Days (S/D)

26

26

       

Century

6,817

8,001

-14.8

18,527

31,829

-41.8

LeSabre

9,526

8,048

18.4

26,555

22,285

19.2

Park Avenue

2,123

2,073

2.4

5,280

6,143

-14.0

Regal

2,822

1,890

49.3

5,174

5,373

-3.7

Buick Total

21,288

20,012

6.4

55,536

65,630

-15.4

Catera

0

2

***.*

0

5

***.*

CTS

6,057

4,588

32.0

14,173

10,956

29.4

DeVille

4,765

5,868

-18.8

15,357

17,430

-11.9

Eldorado

1

38

-97.4

1

145

-99.3

Seville

466

1,722

-72.9

1,329

6,548

-79.7

XLR

370

0

***.*

917

0

***.*

Cadillac Total

11,659

12,218

-4.6

31,777

35,084

-9.4

Aveo

3,477

0

***.*

7,883

0

***.*

Camaro

10

208

-95.2

19

575

-96.7

Cavalier

17,128

18,041

-5.1

50,061

52,224

-4.1

Classic

10,120

0

***.*

29,012

0

***.*

Corvette

3,033

2,792

8.6

8,401

5,984

40.4

Impala

30,175

21,962

37.4

72,624

58,785

23.5

Lumina

0

0

***.*

0

0

***.*

Malibu

12,997

14,634

-11.2

28,989

38,732

-25.2

Metro

0

0

***.*

0

0

***.*

Monte Carlo

5,223

5,192

0.6

13,880

14,560

-4.7

Prizm

0

1

***.*

1

4

-75.0

SSR

1,087

0

***.*

3,069

0

***.*

Chevrolet Total

83,250

62,830

32.5

213,939

170,864

25.2

Alero

4,864

9,949

-51.1

13,233

25,736

-48.6

Aurora

21

423

-95.0

104

1,069

-90.3

Intrigue

4

133

-97.0

13

358

-96.4

Oldsmobile Total

4,889

10,505

-53.5

13,350

27,163

-50.9

Bonneville

2,329

2,745

-15.2

7,306

5,925

23.3

Firebird

7

156

-95.5

19

469

-95.9

Grand Am

14,434

11,122

29.8

37,246

33,419

11.5

Grand Prix

14,607

7,807

87.1

38,612

24,572

57.1

GTO

719

0

***.*

1,801

0

***.*

Sunfire

4,155

2,718

52.9

9,177

8,241

11.4

Vibe

5,804

7,810

-25.7

12,481

18,042

-30.8

Pontiac Total

42,055

32,358

30.0

106,642

90,668

17.6

9-3

2,934

3,470

-15.4

6,293

7,889

-20.2

9-5

768

1,266

-39.3

1,757

2,996

-41.4

Saab Total

3,702

4,736

-21.8

8,050

10,885

-26.0

ION

9,922

13,057

-24.0

25,105

25,783

-2.6

Saturn L Series

2,663

8,314

-68.0

6,493

22,863

-71.6

Saturn S Series

0

1,136

***.*

0

5,319

***.*

Saturn Total

12,585

22,507

-44.1

31,598

53,965

-41.4

GM Total

179,428

165,166

8.6

460,892

454,259

1.5

GM Car Deliveries by Production Source

GM North America *

171,530

160,428

6.9

443,158

443,369

0.0

GM Import

7,898

4,738

66.7

17,734

10,890

62.8

GM Total

179,428

165,166

8.6

460,892

454,259

1.5

GM Car Deliveries by Production Source and Marketing Division

Buick Total

21,288

20,012

6.4

55,536

65,630

-15.4

Cadillac Total

11,659

12,216

-4.6

31,777

35,079

-9.4

Chevrolet Total

79,773

62,830

27.0

206,056

170,864

20.6

Oldsmobile Total

4,889

10,505

-53.5

13,350

27,163

-50.9

Pontiac Total

41,336

32,358

27.7

104,841

90,668

15.6

Saturn Total

12,585

22,507

-44.1

31,598

53,965

-41.4

GM North America Total*

171,530

160,428

6.9

443,158

443,369

0.0

     

***.*

   

***.*

Cadillac Total

0

2

***.*

0

5

***.*

Chevrolet Total

3,477

0

***.*

7,883

0

***.*

Pontiac Total

719

0

***.*

1,801

0

***.*

Saab Total

3,702

4,736

-21.8

8,050

10,885

-26.0

GM Import Total

7,898

4,738

66.7

17,734

10,890

62.8

GM Vehicle Deliveries by Marketing Division

Buick Total

29,490

24,900

18.4

78,012

83,289

-6.3

Cadillac Total

19,431

16,706

16.3

51,175

46,260

10.6

Chevrolet Total

233,412

211,898

10.2

600,843

543,390

10.6

GMC Total

50,094

43,362

15.5

130,463

108,029

20.8

HUMMER Total

2,334

3,069

-23.9

6,402

8,639

-25.9

Oldsmobile Total

6,652

13,150

-49.4

17,031

33,411

-49.0

Other-Isuzu Total

1,064

1,259

-15.5

2,861

2,856

0.2

Pontiac Total

47,990

38,501

24.6

120,358

107,033

12.4

Saab Total

3,702

4,736

-21.8

8,050

10,885

-26.0

Saturn Total

20,780

34,171

-39.2

51,921

74,618

-30.4

GM Total

414,949

391,752

5.9

1,067,116

1,018,410

4.8

* Includes US/Canada/Mexico

3-1P
GM Truck Deliveries - (United States)
March 2004

 

March

Calendar Year-to-Date
January - March

2004

2003

% Chg
per S/D

2004

2003

%Chg

Selling Days (S/D)

26

26

       

Rainier

2,130

0

***.*

5,432

0

***.*

Rendezvous

6,072

4,888

24.2

17,044

17,659

-3.5

Total Buick

8,202

4,888

67.8

22,476

17,659

27.3

Escalade

2,908

2,667

9.0

7,539

6,774

11.3

Escalade ESV

1,100

1,026

7.2

2,840

2,266

25.3

Escalade EXT

915

795

15.1

2,380

2,136

11.4

SRX

2,849

0

***.*

6,639

0

***.*

Total Cadillac

7,772

4,488

73.2

19,398

11,176

73.6

Astro

3,024

3,695

-18.2

7,901

8,553

-7.6

C/K Suburban(Chevy)

8,765

9,191

-4.6

25,756

22,163

16.2

Chevy C/T Series

25

69

-63.8

61

248

-75.4

Chevy W Series

198

254

-22.0

497

539

-7.8

Colorado

8,574

0

***.*

17,275

0

***.*

Equinox

1,051

0

***.*

1,051

0

***.*

Express Cutaway/G Cut

1,776

1,498

18.6

4,076

3,688

10.5

Express Panel/G Van

6,395

5,265

21.5

16,327

12,821

27.3

Express/G Sportvan

1,222

1,605

-23.9

3,181

3,538

-10.1

Kodiak 4/5 Series

749

724

3.5

1,751

1,440

21.6

Kodiak 6/7/8 Series

343

197

74.1

927

443

109.3

S/T Blazer

4,448

4,161

6.9

9,767

12,632

-22.7

S/T Pickup

1,354

11,746

-88.5

4,829

31,527

-84.7

Tahoe

15,256

14,895

2.4

42,411

34,166

24.1

Tracker

1,481

3,592

-58.8

5,956

8,595

-30.7

TrailBlazer

21,785

20,185

7.9

61,675

55,006

12.1

Venture

8,553

8,514

0.5

16,778

21,593

-22.3

Avalanche

6,928

7,174

-3.4

19,348

19,011

1.8

Silverado-C/K Pickup

58,235

56,303

3.4

147,337

136,563

7.9

Chevrolet Fullsize Pickups

65,163

63,477

2.7

166,685

155,574

7.1

Chevrolet Total

150,162

149,068

0.7

386,904

372,526

3.9

Canyon

2,016

0

***.*

4,146

0

***.*

Envoy

11,656

9,361

24.5

30,924

25,645

20.6

GMC C/T Series

34

267

-87.3

97

588

-83.5

GMC W Series

409

462

-11.5

973

910

6.9

S/T Jimmy

0

9

***.*

0

16

***.*

Safari (GMC)

631

896

-29.6

1,670

2,615

-36.1

Savana Panel/G Classic

1,843

1,503

22.6

4,526

3,681

23.0

Savana Special/G Cut

2,236

952

134.9

5,734

2,274

152.2

Savana/Rally

235

319

-26.3

584

680

-14.1

Sierra

17,510

15,902

10.1

43,771

38,483

13.7

Sonoma

458

2,652

-82.7

1,565

7,307

-78.6

Topkick 4/5 Series

574

469

22.4

1,541

817

88.6

Topkick 6/7/8 Series

635

265

139.6

1,257

579

117.1

Yukon

7,087

5,940

19.3

20,456

14,006

46.1

Yukon XL

4,770

4,365

9.3

13,219

10,428

26.8

GMC Total

50,094

43,362

15.5

130,463

108,029

20.8

HUMMER H1

34

55

-38.2

102

151

-32.5

HUMMER H2

2,300

3,014

-23.7

6,300

8,488

-25.8

HUMMER Total

2,334

3,069

-23.9

6,402

8,639

-25.9

Bravada

258

797

-67.6

776

2,182

-64.4

Silhouette

1,505

1,848

-18.6

2,905

4,066

-28.6

Oldsmobile Total

1,763

2,645

-33.3

3,681

6,248

-41.1

Other-Isuzu F Series

127

150

-15.3

276

353

-21.8

Other-Isuzu N Series

937

1,109

-15.5

2,585

2,503

3.3

Other-Isuzu Total

1,064

1,259

-15.5

2,861

2,856

0.2

Aztek

1,534

2,676

-42.7

5,071

6,995

-27.5

Montana

4,401

3,467

26.9

8,645

9,370

-7.7

Pontiac Total

5,935

6,143

-3.4

13,716

16,365

-16.2

VUE

8,195

11,664

-29.7

20,323

20,653

-1.6

Saturn Total

8,195

11,664

-29.7

20,323

20,653

-1.6

GM Total

235,521

226,586

3.9

606,224

564,151

7.5

GM TRUCK Deliveries by Production Source

GM North America *

234,274

225,302

4.0

602,801

561,092

7.4

GM Import

1,247

1,284

-2.9

3,423

3,059

11.9

GM Total

235,521

226,586

3.9

606,224

564,151

7.5

GM Light Duty Truck Deliveries by Production Source

GM North America *

231,490

222,620

4.0

596,259

555,731

7.3

GM Import

0

0

***.*

0

0

***.*

GM Total

231,490

222,620

4.0

596,259

555,731

7.3

GM TRUCK Deliveries by Production Source and Marketing Division

Buick Total

8,202

4,888

67.8

22,476

17,659

27.3

Cadillac Total

7,772

4,488

73.2

19,398

11,176

73.6

Chevrolet Total

150,047

148,900

0.8

386,597

372,152

3.9

GMC Total

49,779

43,023

15.7

129,688

107,353

20.8

HUMMER Total

2,334

3,069

-23.9

6,402

8,639

-25.9

Oldsmobile Total

1,763

2,645

-33.3

3,681

6,248

-41.1

Other-Isuzu Total

247

482

-48.8

520

847

-38.6

Pontiac Total

5,935

6,143

-3.4

13,716

16,365

-16.2

Saturn Total

8,195

11,664

-29.7

20,323

20,653

-1.6

GM North America Total*

234,274

225,302

4.0

602,801

561,092

7.4

Chevrolet Total

115

168

-31.5

307

374

-17.9

GMC Total

315

339

-7.1

775

676

14.6

Other-Isuzu Total

817

777

5.1

2,341

2,009

16.5

GM Import Total

1,247

1,284

-2.9

3,423

3,059

11.9

GM Light Truck Deliveries by Production Source and Marketing Division

Buick Total

8,202

4,888

67.8

22,476

17,659

27.3

Cadillac Total

7,772

4,488

73.2

19,398

11,176

73.6

Chevrolet Total

148,847

147,824

0.7

383,668

369,856

3.7

GMC Total

48,442

41,899

15.6

126,595

105,135

20.4

HUMMER Total

2,334

3,069

-23.9

6,402

8,639

-25.9

Oldsmobile Total

1,763

2,645

-33.3

3,681

6,248

-41.1

Pontiac Total

5,935

6,143

-3.4

13,716

16,365

-16.2

Saturn Total

8,195

11,664

-29.7

20,323

20,653

-1.6

GM North America Total*

231,490

222,620

4.0

596,259

555,731

7.3

GM Light Truck Deliveries by Marketing Division

Buick Total

8,202

4,888

67.8

22,476

17,659

27.3

Cadillac Total

7,772

4,488

73.2

19,398

11,176

73.6

Chevrolet Total

148,847

147,824

0.7

383,668

369,856

3.7

GMC Total

48,442

41,899

15.6

126,595

105,135

20.4

HUMMER Total

2,334

3,069

-23.9

6,402

8,639

-25.9

Oldsmobile Total

1,763

2,645

-33.3

3,681

6,248

-41.1

Pontiac Total

5,935

6,143

-3.4

13,716

16,365

-16.2

Saturn Total

8,195

11,664

-29.7

20,323

20,653

-1.6

GM Total

231,490

222,620

4.0

596,259

555,731

7.3

* Includes US/Canada/Mexico