General Motors breaks August sales records in the Middle East with 24 percent growth

General Motors’ dealers in the Middle East reported total sales of 12,849 vehicles in August 2011; a 24 percent increase versus a year ago.

The outstanding sales result represented GM Middle East’s highest August sales month ever and the best retail sales month on record as demand continues to grow for the company’s line-up of passenger cars, crossovers, sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and pickups across the Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac brands.

Total sales of Chevrolet in August rose by 24 percent year-over-year, while sales of GMC experienced a 27 percent increase. Meanwhile Cadillac’s August sales grew by 45 percent and represented the second best sales month for the luxury brand in the past 32 months.

The biggest gain in sales was achieved by GM’s crossover vehicles, which increased by 45 percent in August. This growth was propelled by strong sales of the Chevrolet Traverse, the Cadillac SRX and the newly launched Chevrolet Captiva and GMC Terrain.

Over the same period sales of passenger cars increased by 9 percent and sales of SUVs were up 32 percent, while pickups experienced 26 percent sales growth.

Retail sales, those to individual customers, rose 43 percent in August driven by high levels of showroom traffic during the holy month of Ramadan. Year-to-date retail sales increased by 50 percent for the first eight months of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010.

“The launch of new vehicles and our marketing efforts helped boost showroom traffic during the holy month of Ramadan, which was reflected in our best ever retail sales month in August,” said John Stadwick, President and Managing Director of GM Middle East Operations.

“Our focus on raising the customer shopping, buying and ownership experience, combined with investment in new showroom and service facilities is drawing more customers into our showrooms and growing demand for our vehicles across the region.”

August represented GM Middle East’s eleventh consecutive month of double-digit total sales growth and contributed to year-to-date total sales growth of 23 percent for the first eight months of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010.

Passenger Cars

Total sales of GM passenger cars grew by 9 percent during August, driven by strong sales of the Chevrolet Malibu (up 49 percent) and the Cadillac CTS (up 43 percent).

Sport Utility Vehicles

Across Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac, total sales of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) increased by 32 percent in August. The Cadillac Escalade (up 54 percent) and the Chevrolet Tahoe (up 40 percent) were the best performing SUV nameplates during the month.

Crossovers
Crossover sales across Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac were up 45 percent in August led by strong sales of the Chevrolet Traverse (up 71 percent), the Cadillac SRX (up 39 percent) and the newly launched Chevrolet Captiva and GMC Terrain crossover vehicles.

Pickups

Total sales of the Chevrolet Silverado, Avalanche and Colorado, and the GMC Sierra, increased by 26 percent during August due to a strong performance by Silverado, which grew sales by 134 percent during the month.