Chevy Volt sells 1,849 in July, Nissan Leaf just 395

In the U.S. plug-in vehicle market, the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid continues to dominate the all-electric Nissan Leaf. After five months of the Volt beating the Leaf ... the same thing happened in July.

The Volt sold 1,849 units last month, up from 1,760 in June and up from 125 in July 2011. The increase happened even though GM's overall sales were down six percent compared to July 2011. Most of the loss was from a 41 percent drop in fleet sales. The Chevrolet Spark sold 1,460 units in July, the first month it was on sale.

Over at Nissan, sales of the all-electric Leaf dropped to 395, down from 535 in June. In July 2011, Nissan sold 931 Leafs. Nissan says it expects sales to grow as soon as it starts making the Leaf domestically. The Smyrna, TN is supposed to start making the EV later this year.

That's the Volt vs. Leaf newsflash. We'll have our more in-depth report on July's U.S. alt-energy car sales soon.
Show full PR text
GM U.S. Sales Down on Lower Rental Volume

2012-08-01

DETROIT – General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) today reported July U.S. sales of 201,237 vehicles, down 6 percent compared with a year ago. Sales to retail customers declined 3 percent. Sales to rental fleet customers declined 41 percent, in line with the company's previous guidance.

In July, Cadillac sales were up 21 percent thanks to strong across-the-board results for the CTS, Escalade, SRX and the all-new XTS.

"Cadillac hit a home run and our newest Chevrolets and Buicks are performing very well," said Kurt McNeil, vice president, U.S. Sales Operations. "Signs of a housing recovery and good news on consumer confidence and household income should help keep the light vehicle selling rate in the 14-million range and drive seasonally higher truck sales as we move toward fall."

All of GM newest vehicles performed well in July. Buick Verano sales were 4,235 units and have increased each month since the car launched in December 2011. Chevrolet Sonic sales were 6,278 units and it has been the retail sales leader in its segment since April 2012. In addition, Chevrolet Spark deliveries were 1,460 in its first month on sale.

GM's combined retail sales of mini- , small, and compact cars were up 41 percent year over year. Retail passenger car sales in total were up 3 percent, retail crossover sales were up 2 percent and retail truck sales were down 12 percent.

Two all-new vehicles – the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu four-cylinder and Cadillac ATS – are now in production. Vehicles launching later this year include the Buick Verano Turbo, Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Malibu Turbo, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia.

GM said last month that sales to rental customers would be down sharply in July because planned deliveries occurred earlier in the year compared with 2011. GM's commercial fleet sales were up 41 percent, the 28th consecutive monthly increase. Strong police vehicle deliveries to state and local agencies helped drive a 115 percent increase in government sales. Total fleet sales were down 15 percent.

2012 Highlights

July Total Sales

Total Change vs. July 2011

July Retail Sales

Retail Change vs. July 2011

CYTD Sales

CYTD Change vs. 2011

CYTD Retail Sales

CYTD Retail Change vs. 2011

Chevrolet

138,942

(6.8%)

99,690

(5.4%)

1,100,604

4.5%

738,505

3.0%

GMC

34,487

(9.0%)

27,560

(5.6%)

235,528

4.5%

194,331

1.6%

Buick

14,391

(14.7%)

14,274

2.0%

104,589

(5.3%)

92,743

1.5%

Cadillac

13,417

20.7%

11,995

20.3%

76,229

(12.6%)

72,077

(4.7%)

Total GM

201,237

(6.4%)

153,519

(3.2%)

1,516,950

2.7%

1,097,656

2.1%


Industry Sales

July SAAR (est.)

CYTD SAAR (est.)

Full Year 2012 (est.)

Light Vehicles

13.8 million -14 million range

14.3 million range

14.0 million – 14.5 million


Inventory

Units @
July 31, 2012

Days Supply (selling days adjusted)

Units @
June 30, 2012

Days Supply (selling days adjusted)

All Vehicles

663,439

79

700,927

76

Cars and Crossovers

324,504

62

361,416

58

Full-size Pickups

238,165

136

238,194

135


General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM, TSX: GMM) and its partners produce vehicles in 30 countries, and the company has leadership positions in the world's largest and fastest-growing automotive markets. GM's brands include Chevrolet and Cadillac, as well as Baojun, Buick, GMC, Holden, Isuzu, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. More information on the company and its subsidiaries, including OnStar, a global leader in vehicle safety, security and information services, can be found at http://www.gm.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

In this press release and in related comments by our management, our use of the words "expect," "anticipate," "possible," "potential," "target," "believe," "commit," "intend," "continue," "may," "would," "could," "should," "project," "projected," "positioned" or similar expressions is intended to identify forward-looking statements that represent our current judgment about possible future events. We believe these judgments are reasonable, but these statements are not guarantees of any events or financial results, and our actual results may differ materially due to a variety of important factors. Among other items, such factors might include: our ability to realize production efficiencies and to achieve reductions in costs as a result of our restructuring initiatives and labor modifications; our ability to maintain quality control over our vehicles and avoid material vehicle recalls; our ability to maintain adequate liquidity and financing sources and an appropriate level of debt, including as required to fund our planned significant investment in new technology; the ability of our suppliers to timely deliver parts, components and systems; our ability to realize successful vehicle applications of new technology; and our ability to continue to attract new customers, particularly for our new products. GM's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q provides information about these and other factors, which we may revise or supplement in future reports to the SEC.

Nissan North America Sales Increase 16.2% in July

- Nissan Division achieves record July car sales -
- Infiniti sales increase 56.8% from prior year -

FRANKLIN, Tenn. - Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today reported July U.S. sales of 98,341 units versus 84,601 units a year earlier, up 16.2 percent. Nissan Division sales increased 12.3 percent for the month at 86,722 units. Sales of Infiniti vehicles were up 56.8 percent over the prior year, to 11,619 units.

NISSAN HIGHLIGHTS

Nissan Division posted sales of 86,722 units, up 12.3 percent from last July's 77,191 units.
Sales of the Nissan Altima achieved a July record of 26,602, up 24.7 percent from a year ago. July marked the first full month of sales for the all-new, 2013 Altima sedan.
Nissan Rogue also achieved best-ever July sales, with 13,193 units marking a 17.2 percent increase over July 2011.
Nissan's car lineup posted overall strong sales, with cars collectively recording record July volume of 53,744 units, up 13.8 percent from a year ago.

"Sales of the all-new Altima sedan - the most innovative Altima ever - helped propel Nissan car sales to the best July on record at 53,744 cars sold," said Al Castignetti, vice president and general manager, Nissan Division. "Initial reception of the all-new, 2013 Altima proved to be strong, with total Altima sales reaching 26,602 vehicles sold in July."

INFINITI HIGHLIGHTS

Infiniti today reported sales of 11,619 units for July, an increase of 56.8 percent from 7,410 units a year earlier.
The Infiniti G Sedan, with sales of 6,078, had an increase of 88.8 percent versus last year, making it the best July in the sport sedan's history.
The brand's all-new 7-passenger luxury crossover, the Infiniti JX, saw sales of 1,999 in July and a total of 9,724 units since it went on sale in late March.
Overall, Infiniti had its best July in seven years.

NOTE: To ensure consistency in global sales reporting, Nissan North America calculates monthly variances on a straight-percentage basis, unadjusted for the number of selling days. July 2012 had 24 selling days, while July 2011 had 26 selling days.

About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in 2010, 2011, and 2012 by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com.

About Nissan
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second largest Japanese automotive company by volume, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan and is an integral pillar of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 248,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4.6 million vehicles in 2011. With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of fuel-efficient and low-emissions vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. A pioneer in zero emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades including the prestigious 2011 European Car of the Year award.

For more information on our products, services and commitment to Sustainable Mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.

Share This Photo X