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"GM Reports April Sales of 401,451 Units"
"DETROIT -- General Motors dealers sold 401,451 new cars and trucks in April, up slightly (0.2%) compared to April 2003. GM's truck sales (248,555) were up 1.5% and car sales (152,896) were down 2%.Sales of the Chevrolet Cavalier of 17,217 units for the month marked a drop of 6.5% over April 2003, and year-to-date sales of 67,278 units is down 4.7% over the same period laast year. Conversely, the Pontiac Sunfire sold 3,489 units for the month, up 10.4% over the year-ago total. Year-to-date sales are up as well, with 12,666 units sold through April, an 11.1% gain. Both the Cavalier and Sunfire are built at GM's assembly plant in Lordstown, Ohio."Truckfest delivered solid results in key categories, including new industry records for total truck sales and utility sales, and we will continue this program in May," says John Smith, group vice president, GM North America Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "We have work to do on the car side of our business, but with upcoming new entries like the Pontiac G6, Buick LaCrosse and Cadillac STS and an improving economy, we expect to see continued growth for both the industry and GM."GM's truck sales established a new industry record in April with a 1.5% increase compared to last year. Both Cadillac and Chevrolet set April sales records for trucks. Chevrolet had 164,893 truck deliveries, up 1%. Cadillac truck sales (6,649) improved 30%. Full-size pickup deliveries were down 4%, compared to record year-ago sales, yet led the industry and reached nearly 88, 000 units (87,261).Sport utility vehicle sales again surpassed the 100,000-unit mark with 109,072 deliveries, a 6% increase and another industry record. GM remains the only manufacturer to sell over 100,000 utilities in a month. Small utilities set the pace, with 18,718 deliveries, a 100% improvement over last year. Saturn VUE sales (10,671) were up 59%, and Chevrolet Equinox sales continued to gain momentum with 6,500 deliveries in April. Mid-size utility sales (45,447) were up 4%, led by Chevrolet TrailBlazer (19,542), up 2%, and GMC Envoy (10,306), with a sales increase of 8%.GM's car sales declined 2% overall compared to last April. Mid-size car sales were up 3%, paced by Pontiac Grand Prix (up 35%) and Grand Am (up 40%). In the entry-level segment, Pontiac Vibe sales were up 7%. Among GM's launch vehicles, Aveo had its best sales month to-date (3,900), 12% above March.April 2004 sales for all GM certified used vehicle brands, including GM Certified Used Vehicles, Cadillac Certified Pre-Owned, Used Cars from Saturn and Saab Certified Pre-Owned, were 40,977 units, down 3% from April 2003. "GM Certified Used Vehicles continues to lead all certified brands, with year-to-date sales through April up nearly 10% over year-ago figures, while year-to-date sales for all GM's certified brands are up more than 9%," Smith notes. "We're optimistic that we'll see continued sales growth through the rest of 2004."In April, GM North America produced 455,000 vehicles (177,000 cars and 278,000 trucks) compared to 461,000 vehicles (179,000 cars and 282,000 trucks) produced in April 2003. Production totals include joint venture production of 20,000 vehicles in April 2004 and 15,000 in April 2003.General Motors Corp., the world's largest vehicle manufacturer, employs about 325,000 globally in its core automotive business and subsidiaries. Founded in 1908, GM today has manufacturing operations in 32 countries, and its vehicles are sold in 192 countries."