GM’s Retail Sales Increased 22 Percent in August

Consumer spending in general may not have improved much over the summer but Americans seem more than eager to start buying cars again. Even though the economic recovery is still stumbling along according to many analysts, GM has been posting record sales. GM’s retail sales were up by 22 percent for the month of August. Cadillac and Buick led the way for the car company with 38 and 37 percent gains respectively. Retail, as well as total deliveries, was up by double digits across the board at GM.

A few of the car company’s bestsellers included the Buick Encore, the Cadillac SRX, the Chevy Equinox, and the GMC Terrain. Several vehicles had their best month ever. These included the Buick Verano, the Encore, the Chevrolet Volt, the Chevy Spark, the Chevy Sonic, and the Cadillac XTS. The Verano is a luxury sedan that’s reasonably priced and the Encore is a crossover that has been given high ratings for safety. Full size pickup truck sales also increased by 15 percent. All of this contributed to August sales being the highest so far for 2013 and the highest since September of 2008.

Many are speculating why sales are increasing but there may not be one specific answer. One reason given is that home sales are up and that car and truck sales are simply following suit. Another reason could be necessity. After years of driving used and older cars because of a shaky economy, people are in need of newer vehicles. There comes a time when individuals need newer cars no matter what is going on with the economy.

After the economic downturn many car companies were concerned about selling larger vehicles that didn’t get as good gas mileage as some of the smaller cars on the market. This doesn’t seem to be as much of a concern now. GM is currently promoting large SUV’s and heavy duty pickup trucks. They are also redesigning higher end vehicles such as the Corvette Stingray and the Cadillac CTS.

GM has also been overhauling and improving every aspect of their business. They are not only improving and redesigning their cars and trucks, but are renovating their dealerships and service facilities across the United States. GM has also seen growth overseas as well. Sales in China are booming. There was an increase of almost 7 percent in China during the last few years. Foreign sales across the board are increasing and are projected to keep going up. With spending on new vehicles reaching record levels and the improvements GM has planned, it looks like the rest of 2013 will be a very good year for the car company.