GM Reports 252,565 Deliveries in January 2008, Up 2.1 Percent

DETROIT - GM dealers in the United States delivered 252,565 vehicles in January, an increase of 2.1 percent compared with the same month last year. The company continued its efforts to focus on improved retail sales, showing an increase of more than 11 percent.

Very strong retail sales of 186,187 vehicles were driven by a more than 31-percent surge in retail car sales. GM retail share in the U.S. has remained essentially stable for the past two and one-half years. Total truck sales of 148,191 were up more than 3 percent compared with a year ago.

"January's performance strongly indicates that, along with our great market position in trucks and crossovers, GM is back in the car business," said Mark LaNeve, vice president, GM North American Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "Our new launch vehicles, including the award-winning Chevrolet Malibu and Cadillac CTS had a sensational month, as did the Chevrolet Cobalt, Pontiac G5 and G6, Saturn AURA, Buick Lacrosse and Cadillac STS. Overall, we've had year-over-year retail sales increases in four of the past five months."

Chevrolet Malibu retail sales were up 198 percent while total sales climbed 58 percent, compared with a year ago. Chevrolet retail car sales were up 62 percent compared with a year ago. Cadillac CTS deliveries were up 95 percent total and 104 percent retail compared to last January.

GM's fuel-efficient small cars saw substantial total and retail growth. Chevrolet Aveo total sales were up 40 percent, while retail sales were up 65 percent; Cobalt was up 33 percent total and 65 percent retail; Pontiac G5 was up 50 percent total and 71 percent retail, while Vibe was up 10 percent total and 58 percent retail when compared with January 2007.

The Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn OUTLOOK together accounted for more than 12,200 retail vehicle sales in the month. The mid-utility crossover segment grew retail sales by 144 percent compared with year-ago January levels. Total sales of GM's mid-utility crossovers were up 134 percent to more than 12,600 vehicles compared with a year ago.

Small crossover utilities, led by the Saturn VUE, Chevrolet Equinox and Pontiac Torrent pushed up GM's total sales in that segment by 51 percent, while retail volume rose 38 percent compared with last year.

"Our retail increase helped move our mix of retail sales as a percentage of total sales up by 6 points," LaNeve added. "We are improving our quality of share while offering vehicles that have industry-leading value, great fuel economy and the best warranty coverage of any full-line automaker." Chevrolet retail sales were up 13 percent, Pontiac was up 17 percent, Buick was up 13 percent, GMC was up 15 percent, Cadillac was up 11 percent and Saturn retail sales were up 5 percent compared with a year ago.

Certified Used Vehicles

January 2008 sales for all certified GM brands, including GM Certified Used Vehicles, Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, Saturn Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, and HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles, were 37,669 vehicles, down 13 percent from last January.

GM Certified Used Vehicles, the industry's top-selling certified brand, posted January sales of 33,339 vehicles, down 11 percent. Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 3,226 vehicles, down 14 percent. Saturn Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 546 vehicles, down 59 percent. Saab Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 429 vehicles, down 19 percent, and HUMMER Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles sold 129 vehicles, up nearly 2 percent.

"January sales for GM Certified Used Vehicles were up 10 percent from the previous month, but down 11 percent from the brand's best January sales month ever in 2007," said LaNeve. "We're optimistic about growing sales in the first quarter as consumers opt for financing similar to new vehicles on some of our most popular models and as more highly equipped off-rent vehicles work their way into GM Certified inventory in coming months."

GM North America Reports January 2008 Production; 2008 First-Quarter Production Forecast Revised at 965,000 Vehicles

In January, GM North America produced 297,000 vehicles (106,000 cars and 191,000 trucks). This is down 16,000 units or 5 percent compared to January 2007 when the region produced 313,000 vehicles (135,000 cars and 178,000 trucks). (Production totals include joint venture production of 13,000 vehicles in January 2008 and 15,000 vehicles in January 2007.)

The region's 2008 first-quarter production forecast is revised at 965,000 vehicles (357,000 cars and 608,000 trucks), up 15,000 units or 2 percent from last month's guidance.

General Motors Corp. , the world's largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 77 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 274,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 35 countries. In 2007, nearly 9.37 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services.