General Motors reported a slight decrease in sales during the first quarter, mainly due to challenges with its fleet business. However, the company still maintained its position as the best-selling automaker in the United States. Despite the overall decline, General Motors sold 594,233 new vehicles from January to March, which was only a 1.5% decrease compared to the previous year. Retail sales actually increased by 6% over the same period, helping General Motors surpass Toyota as the top-selling automaker in the U.S.
Despite the decline in sales for General Motors, there were some bright spots for certain brands and product lines. The company’s pickup lineup saw a significant increase in sales, with a 3.6% growth, making it the best quarter since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, sales of General Motors’ electric vehicles dropped due to software issues and production delays, particularly affecting the Chevrolet Bolt. Fleet sales for the automaker decreased by approximately 23% compared to the previous year.
Among General Motors’ brands, only Buick reported an increase in sales, which went up by 16.4% year-over-year. While overall pickup deliveries improved, GMC experienced a 5% decline in sales. Sales for Chevrolet and Cadillac also slightly decreased compared to the previous year.
Despite these challenges, demand for vehicles has continued to increase across all automakers during this pandemic period due to changes in consumer behavior and preferences towards SUVs and pickups instead of sedans and cars as well as low interest rates that make car financing more accessible than ever before . Edmunds forecasts that quarterly sales will reach around 3
