U.S. automaker General Motors Co. (GM, Financial), in collaboration with its joint ventures in China, posted a 12.5% sales gain year over year to 418,225 vehicles for November. November was a record month for the Detroit automaker on a volume basis. The company’s year-to-date sales stood at 3.55 million units, up 3.3% from the prior-year period. SUVs remained the highlight of the month as sales surged a whopping 73% from November 2016.
Here’s a comprehensive look at General Motors’ monthly performance in China.
Performance of GM’s brands
Buick sales came in at 112,738 units, up 3% on a year-over-year basis. The brand's performance was bolstered by Excelle GT sales, which remained the brand’s top-selling vehicle for November (30,000 units sold). While Buick GL8 sales surpassed 13,000 units, Buick GL6 sales reached almost 4,000 units.
Baojun set a monthly sales record at 113,711 units, 52.1% surge on a year-over-year basis. Baojun 510 remained the brand’s top-selling vehicle at 48,000 units. On the other hand, sales of Baojun 310 and E100 also stood out. Sales of the 310 increased 97% to 28,000 units and E100 sales exceeded 1,900 units.
The automaker’s Cadillac Luxury brand put up a stellar performance this month as sales rose 23.4% to 16,629 units. November marked the brand’s 21st successive month of double-digit sales growth in China. Cadillac ATS-L sales improved 21% to approximately 5,000 units in November, which was the model’s 17th consecutive double-digit sales increase. CT-5 sales surpassed 1,200 units, thereby doubling last November's sales. While sales of the XT-5 exceeded 6,500 units, XTS' sales improved 12% on a year-over-year basis.
Chevrolet sales in China totalled 61,229 units, up 16.8% year over year. November not only marked the brand’s fifth consecutive month of double-digit sales growth, but was also a record month. While Malibu sales stood at roughly 15, 000 units, Cavalier sales exceeded 21,000 units, making it Chevrolet’s best-selling model in China. On the other hand, Equinox, which completed its seventh full month on the Chinese market, surpassed 6,900 units.
Wuling, the only brand to post a sales decline, saw sales fall 6.3% to 113,919 units. Hong Guang sales amounted to more than 59,000 units. Hong Guang S3, in its first month on the Chinese market, sold more than 13,000 units. Rong Guang sales, on the other hand, came in at approximately 43,000 units.
Last word
November was a blockbuster month for General Motors as demand for larger vehicles, luxury cars and entry-level cars were high. It will be interesting to see how much GM's sales in China grow in the last month of the year. Until then, stay tuned.
Disclosure: I do not hold any positions in the stocks mentioned in this article.
