But the most surprising result came from Opel, the German manufacturer who's currently fighting for survival. Opel/Vauxhall sold 347,330 vehicles from April to June 2009, with deliveries in Germany up 45 percent and the Corsa becoming the segment leader in the country. Q2 is now the best sales quarter since 2000 for Opel, GM mentioned.
“These registrations seem to indicate that we might have seen the bottom in certain markets. Stimulus programs, like the scrappage program in Germany, are good examples, where strong public policy is helping to offset the impact of the global economic crisis,” said Brent Dewar, GM Europe vice president, sales, marketing and aftersales.
Chevrolet on the other hand sold 115,526 cars in Europe in the second quarter, which translates into a record market share of 2.3 percent. Just like Opel, Chevy performed well in Germany (up 43 percent), France (up 102 percent) and Turkey (up 120 percent).
“While it will probably take some years for the industry to return to 2007 levels, as we are facing an unprecedented set of economic challenges due to the global economic crisis, we are working intensively with our retail network to fight for every sale and to successfully manage the business during this challenging period,” said Dewar.
“We have a host of new products – including the Opel Insignia, the European Car of the Year 2009, and the Chevrolet Cruze. We will keep managing our production and costs as tightly as possible, while communicating our strong product message in the marketplace.”
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