Sales of Cruze Rise 10%, General Motors Just 1%

Friday, March 02, 2012

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Sales of the Lordstown-built Chevrolet Cruze climbed above 20,000 in February, helping General Motors Co. to a modest lift for the month.

GM reported it sold 209,306 new cars and trucks last month, a 1.1% increase, as more consumers steered toward fuel-efficient passenger cars such as the Cruze. Meanwhile, Chrysler Group LLC saw its sales rise 40% compared the same period last year, while Ford witnessed a 14% increase in its business.

Japanese automakers Toyota and Honda both reported a 12% improvement in sales.

Still, the brightest news for the auto industry is the seasonally adjusted annual rate, or SAAR, which projects industrywide annual sales based on a single month. In February, the auto industry turned in a SAAR of 15.1 million, the highest in four years.

GM reported the Cruze sold 20,427 units, up 10%, making February the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year sales gains. It's also the sixth time the vehicle has crossed the threshold of 20,000 in sales.

Buyers, reacting to rising prices at the pump now averaging $3.74 a gallon, scaled back from more luxury brands such as Cadillac and opted for high-mileage models such as the Cruze, executives said.

"Sales of our newest fuel-efficient cars and crossovers were very strong in February," said Don Johnson, GM vice president for U.S. sales. "We had our best month ever for the Chevrolet Sonic, and the Chevrolet Cruze just delivered its sixth month of sales exceeding 20,000 units."

Compact crossovers such as the Chevrolet Equinox also sold well, driving that segment up 25%, Johnson said.

Chrysler reported sales of 133,521 units compared with 95,102 a year earlier, a 40% increase. It was the automaker's best February in four years.

Sales of its Fiat 500 were up 69% compared to a year ago, Chrysler said.

"Our product portfolio contains some of the most fuel-efficient vehicles in the company's history, driving sales up 40%," said Reid Bigland, head of U.S. sales for Chrysler.

Fuel efficiency also drove sales higher at Ford, the company said, noting sales of the Focus were 115% higher than last year. The automaker reported sales of 179,119 new cars and trucks.

Sales at both Toyota and Honda rose 12% for the month, the companies reported.

Toyota said sales of new cars and trucks totaled 159,423. Sales of passenger cars were up 23%, while sales of trucks fell 1.8%. Sport-utility sales fell 3.5%.

Honda reported U.S. sales of 110,157, up from 98,059 a year ago. Sales of the Honda Civic climbed 42% to 27,000 units for the month, the company said.