GM April 2015 Sales Up 5.9% with 269,056 Vehicles Sold

Silverado Pickup and Equinox CUV sell well.

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - May 1, 2015

2015 Chevrolet Equinox - $22,995 to start incl. D&H while offering owners a respectable 22/32 mpgUS city/highway rating with the FWD model.

Just a few months prior to the refreshed 2016 Equinox, the 2015 makes a big statement by finishing in the Top 10 in April U.S. sales.

2016 Chevrolet Equinox Preview

Chevrolet introduced the refreshed 2016 Equinox in Chicago this past February. It is being updated with new styling, new wheel designs, new available safety features, a larger color touchscreen display audio system and standard rear-view camera on the entry-level models. 5-years since the second generation was introduced, it is a bit long in the tooth yet was the first CUV of its size to break the 30 mpg barrier back in 2010…

GM April Sales Overview

GM stated they delivered 269,056 vehicles in April 2015, up 5.9 percent over the 254,076 sold in April of 2014.

GM’s trucks and CUVs posted double-digit sales increases in April, up 13 percent and 25 percent, respectively.

With sales of the Canyon/Colorado twins, GM’s retail market share for midsize pickups is now 31 percent year to date. For small crossovers, it is 55 percent and for large SUVs it is 74 percent.

GM April Sales Highlights

Chevrolet crossover deliveries were up 51 percent. Equinox sales were up 42 percent for its best April ever. Traverse sales were up 28 percent, also an April best.

Chevrolet pickup sales totaled 52,988 units, up 24 percent. Silverado deliveries were up 8 percent and the all-new Colorado midsize pickup had its best month since launch, with 7,010 deliveries. The Colorado has now been the industry’s fastest-selling truck for three months in a row, with a “days to turn” of only 15 days.

Spark EV sales were a record 920 units, the Sonic was up 14 percent.

GMC had its best first-quarter sales since 2005, and followed that up with a 20 percent increase in April. GMC pickup sales were up 19 percent, with Sierra up 5 percent and Canyon deliveries totaling 2,432 units. The Sierra and Canyon have the highest average transaction prices (ATPs) in their respective segments, according to PIN.
Denali penetration is at record levels, surpassing 23 percent of retail sales.

GMC’s crossover sales were up 25 percent, with Terrain up 13 percent and Acadia up 40 percent. Both vehicles had their best-ever April sales.

GM April Incentive Spending and ATPs

GMs Average Transaction Prices (ATPs_ were approximately $34,750, up $880 per vehicle compared to 2014. Calendar year to date, ATPs are up $1,580.

Incentive spending as a percentage of ATP was estimated at 9.5 percent in April. That is in line with March and down 0.6 percentage points year over year. Industry average spending was 9.2 percent of ATP.

GM passenger car deliveries were down 12 percent in April, reflecting the segmentation shifts that began in the fall of 2014, as well as lower rental deliveries and incentive spending on an ATP basis that is considerably below the industry average. Chevrolet has the lowest passenger car incentives in the industry on an ATP basis compared to other full-line manufacturers.

GM April Highlights and Overall Sales Results

Model	Apr-15	Apr-14	Apr-DSR % change	Apr-15 YTD	Apr-14 YTD	YTD-DSR % change
Volt	905	1,548	-41.5%	2,779	5,154	-46.1%
Spark	3,743	3,873	-3.4%	12,847	13,414	-4.2%
Sonic	8,700	7,655	+13.7%	20,015	31,888	-37.2%
Cruze	20,947	21,752	-3.7%	81,539	86,937	-6.2%
Malibu	17,430	19,944	-12.6%	59,831	68,080	-12.1%
ELR	104	61	+70.5%	415	241	+72.2%
Equinox	28,856	20,315	+42.0%	94,469	76,388	+23.7%
Silverado	45,978	42,755	+7.5%	172,672	150,512	+14.7%
Colorado	7,010	5	NA	26,136	22	NA
Canyon	2,432	0	NA	9,584	2	NA
GM Sales Totals	269,056	254,076	+5.9%	953,095	903,713	+5.5%

The daily selling rate (DSR) is calculated with 26 days in both April of 2015 and April of 2014.
Year-to-date, the DSR is calculated with 101 days in both March of 2015 and 2014.

April 2015 Top 10 U.S. Automobile Sales Leaders

Apr-15 Rank	Mar-15 Rank	Feb-15 Rank	Make	Model	Apr-15	Apr-14	Mar-DSR % change
1	1	1	Ford	F-Series*	62,827	63,387	-0.9%
2	2	2	Chevrolet	Silverado*	45,978	42,755	+7.5%
3	3	3	RAM	Pickup*	37,921	36,674	+3.4%
4	4	4	Toyota	Camry	34,066	38,009	-10.4%
5	5	6	Toyota	Corolla	31,990	29,061	+10.1%
6	9	8	Honda	CR-V	29,452	28,485	+3.4%
7	X	10	Chevrolet	Equinox	28,856	20,315	+42.0%
8	X	X	Honda	Civic	28,380	27,611	+2.8%
9	X	X	Honda	Accord	27,251	34,124	-20.1%
10	X	X	Ford	Escape	25,770	24,579	+4.8%

* Includes HD models
The daily selling rate (DSR) is calculated with 26 days in both April of 2015 and April of 2014.

The auto industry achieved its best April in 10 years with sales of approximately 1,453,000 vehicles, up 4.8 percent over last April. It is also the 14 straight year-over-year monthly gain.

The Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) for April stands at 16.4 million with YTD SAAR at 16.6 million.

The industry is off to its best start since 2001 which was the last time the industry sold 17 million vehicles.

I will add a lot more as the electrified sales results come in over the next few days...

GM April 2015 Sales Up 5.9% with 269,056 Vehicles Sold