General Motors April US Sales Jump 27%

The demand for conventional but fuel-efficient vehicles has resulted in 232,538 total sales in April, a 27-percent increase versus the same month a year ago, for the American automomaking giant General Motors. The figures were helped by the best sales month of the Chevrolet Cruze and new records for the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain compact crossovers.

Retail sales rose 25 percent with car and crossover demand increasing 49 percent and 28 percent, respectively. Retail sales for the Cruze were 180 percent higher than the Chevrolet Cobalt it replaced. The Equinox and Terrain also posted retail sales records, up 53 and 61 percent respectively.

“Recently, rising fuel prices have led many to re-think their vehicle choice. Because of the investments we’ve made in fuel-efficiency and global product architectures, the company is well positioned to meet these needs,” said Don Johnson, vice president, U.S. Sales Operations.

“During the first quarter of 2011, the company’s retail share of the small, compact and compact crossover segments improved by an estimated 3.4 full share points, compared to the first quarter of 2010. Much of this improvement is due to improved availability of the popular Equinox and Terrain and the launch of the all-new Cruze,” GM’s press release reads.

Meanwhile, combined retail sales for vehicles launched since June 2009 (Chevrolet Equinox, Silverado HD, Cruze, Camaro Convertible and Volt; Buick LaCrosse and Regal; GMC Sierra HD and Terrain; and Cadillac SRX, CTS Wagon and CTS Coupe) jumped 76 percent in April and are up 76 percent for the year through April.

Buick reported 18,413 total sales for the period, a 51 percent increase compared to April 2010. This includes a 35-percent rise in year-over-year retail sales, led by demand for the all-new Regal.