GM Reports September Results

GM Reports September Sales of 312,276 - Down 13 Percent

• Truck Sales Down 8 Percent; Car Sales Decrease 18 Percent
• GM CYTD Sales Up 2 Percent; Q3 sales Up 10 percent
• GM Announces September And Q3 Production Results; Q4 Forecast Unchanged

DETROIT - General Motors Corp. dealers sold 312,276 new cars and trucks in September in the United States, down 13 percent over last year. GM's overall truck sales were down 8 percent and GM car sales decreased 18 percent. For the third quarter, GM total sales were up 10 percent and retail sales were up 11 percent. GM's calendar year sales are up 2 percent and retail sales are up 5 percent.

"Our September sales performance was softer than expected. However, when you consider our exceptional sales performance in July and August, lean inventories, and the competitive environment, we expected there would be some weakening in September sales," said Bill Lovejoy, group vice president of North America Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "We remain pleased with our overall performance for the third quarter and for the year and remain optimistic as we head into the fourth quarter.

"We still expect our truck lineup to set the all-time industry record, we are pleased with our overall momentum, and importantly, our launch vehicles continue to strengthen our position in the marketplace," said Lovejoy.

GM Truck Sales

GM reported a decline of 5 percent in sport utility vehicles, selling 72,110 units in September. For the calendar year, GM utility vehicle sales are up nearly 29 percent. GM posted solid midsize utility sales once again, selling 30,381 for the month. GMC Envoy sales increased 72 percent over last year (7351 units). Additionally, the Chevrolet TrailBlazer increased 11 percent over last year with sales of 13,040.

GM had a solid sales month in full-size utility vehicles (33,742 units), led by exceptional sales of the new HUMMER H2 (2,974 units), and another strong month for the Cadillac Escalade (2,755 units), which increased 6 percent. Despite lean inventories, GM sold 64,768 full-size pickups for the month.

GM Car Sales

Overall GM car sales were down 18 percent in September. However, GM continues to generate momentum in the luxury vehicle segment with Cadillac division sales up 16.4 percent and Cadillac cars up 4.1 percent for the year. Cadillac CTS had another strong month with 3,277 sales. Clearly the CTS, along with the Pontiac Vibe, continue to strengthen GM's position in a highly competitive passenger car market.

Certified Used Sales

GM's industry-leading certified used car program sold approximately 35,000 total certified used vehicles in September, including the Cadillac, Saturn and Saab certified brands. The GM Certified Used Vehicle brand had another strong month, selling approximately 27,900 units. "Our certified used vehicle business continues to strengthen as our GM dealers, GMAC and the entire VSSM organization make it a tremendous success story for General Motors," Lovejoy said.

Click here to view the General Motors Corporation September 2002 Sales and Production data

GM Announces September and Q3 Production Results, Q4 Production Forecast Remains Unchanged

In September, GM produced 491,200 vehicles (205,200 cars and 286,000 trucks) in North America, compared to 448,500 vehicles (210,500 cars and 238,000 trucks) produced in September 2001. (Totals include joint venture production of 13,300 vehicles in September 2002 and 8,700 vehicles in September 2001.)

In the third-quarter, GM North America built 1.307 million vehicles (567,000 cars and 740,000 trucks). In the third quarter of 2001, GM North America produced 1.238 million units (573,000 cars and 665,000 trucks).

The increase of approximately 22,000 units in North American third quarter production over the prior estimate was partially related to additional fleet units required to meet an increase in demand by the daily rental companies.

GM’s fourth-quarter production forecast for North America remains unchanged at 1.389 million units (590,900 cars and 798,100 trucks). In the fourth-quarter of 2001, GM produced 1.294 million units (573,000 cars and 721,000 trucks) in North America.

GM also announced revised fourth-quarter production forecasts for its international regions:

• GM Europe - The regions’ revised fourth-quarter production forecast is 472,000 vehicles, up 7,000 vehicles from last month’s forecast.
• GM Asia Pacific - GM Asia Pacific’s revised fourth-quarter production forecast is 74,000 vehicles, up 1,000 vehicles from last month’s initial forecast.
• GM Latin America, Africa and the Middle East - The region’s revised fourth-quarter production forecast is 155,000 units, up 7,000 units over last month’s forecast of 148,000 units.

GM cars and trucks are sold under the following brands: Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, GMC, Saturn, Hummer, Saab, Opel, Vauxhall and Holden. GM parts and accessories are marketed under the GM, GM Goodwrench and ACDelco brands through GM Service and Parts Operations.

More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.