GM Sells Over 2 Million Cars In Europe In 2008

ZURICH, Switzerland – January 9, 2009: General Motors (GM) sales in Europe reached a volume of 2.04 million vehicles in 2008, with a market share of 9.3 percent. Despite the challenging economic conditions, GM managed to sell over 2 million vehicles for the third consecutive year in the region.

Chevrolet paced the sales performance achieving a historic milestone of over half a million cars sold in Europe. While the industry faced a total volume decrease of 5 percent, Chevrolet grew nearly 11 percent, selling over 507,000 cars and setting a new market share record of 2.3 percent.

“I consider this a success in difficult times. We’re encouraged with our sales performance as we are facing an unprecedented set of economic challenges due to the global economic crisis,” said Carl-Peter Forster, president of GM Europe. “Our decision to keep a strong focus on quality and our growth strategy for Central and Eastern Europe continue on track. We are facing increasing headwinds, but I’m confident that the GM Europe team is capable of continuing to successfully manage the business during this challenging period. We have a host of new products – including the Opel Insignia, awarded European Car of the Year 2009, and the Chevrolet Cruze – and will keep managing our production and costs as tightly as possible.”

GM Europe vice president, sales, marketing and aftersales, Brent Dewar, highlighted the work of the retail network operating in very tough market conditions: “It is gratifying to exceed the 2 million mark for the third consecutive year in Europe. It is a credit for the retail network in maintaining a confident outlook amidst the economic uncertainty, while communicating our strong product message in the marketplace.”

Chevrolet breaks through 500,000 sales volume
Despite the downturn in the European market in the second half of 2008, Chevrolet managed to sell over 507,000 cars, reaching a historic milestone and setting a new market share record of 2.3 percent.

“Chevrolet plays a very important role as GM’s value brand in Europe. We have the right cars for the customers in the growth markets of Central and Eastern Europe and are also proving to be very competitive in the entry segments in Western Europe. We are very confident about the brand’s potential and look forward to the launch of the Chevrolet Cruze next spring, adding another strong entry to a winning portfolio,” said Dewar.

Opel sets sales record in CEE
Opel/Vauxhall sold nearly 1,459,000 vehicles in Europe in 2008, down 10.5 percent compared to last year. The result is mainly due to the effects of the financial crisis spreading over to key Western European markets, which affected the industry as a whole. However, Opel’s performance in Central and Eastern Europe continues to be impressive.

Opel grew 41 percent in Eastern Europe, almost 4 times more than the industry, selling 257,000 cars. In Russia, the brand’s sales were up 49 percent to nearly 100,000 vehicles.

“Opel/Vauxhall continues to play a key role as GM’s mainstream brand in Europe. We are very honored about receiving the Car of the Year 2009 award and also excited with the early launch response of the new Insignia. The Insignia range, including hatch- and notchback, ecoFLEX and Sports Tourer offers breakthrough technology and attractive design, bringing a premium touch to the mainstream mid-size car segment. We strongly believe the Insignia and the upcoming new Astra will help to further enhance Opel’s brand image”, said Dewar.

Saab, Cadillac and HUMMER sales
Saab sold 66,713 cars in Europe in 2008, down 21.9 percent. Cadillac sold 4,556 units, down 5 percent. Corvette sold 1,086 units, down 15.3 percent and HUMMER volume was down 1.8 percent to 2,286 units.