General Motors Middle East registers 12th consecutive month of double-digit sales growth in September

September concluded a successful third quarter for General Motors in the Middle East. GM dealers reported total sales of 9,853 vehicles in the month - an increase of 13 percent over September 2010.

The strong performance in September represents the 12th consecutive month of double-digit sales growth for GM Middle East - a record that stretches back to October 2010.

For the third quarter 2011, GM Middle East reported total sales of 35,565 vehicles – up 21 percent compared to the same quarter in 2010.

The sales growth was recorded throughout the region for the company’s line-up of passenger cars, crossovers, sport utility vehicles and pickups across its three brands: Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac.

Total sales of Chevrolet in the third quarter rose by 21 percent year-over-year, while sales of GMC experienced a 28 percent increase. Meanwhile, Cadillac’s third quarter sales grew by 32 percent.

Retail sales - purchases made by individual customers – rose by 43 percent during the third quarter and represented a healthy 73 percent of total sales.

“September capped an outstanding 12 months for GM Middle East,” said John Stadwick, President and Managing Director of General Motors Middle East Operations.

“To achieve 12 consecutive months of double-digit growth and to increase third quarter sales by 21 percent is an incredible achievement. It is testament to the investment we, and our dealer partners, are making to ensure we introduce the very best vehicles to the region combined with an unrivalled customer experience.”

September sales figures contributed to year-to-date total sales growth of 22 percent for the first nine months of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010.

Passenger Cars

Total sales of GM passenger cars grew by 8 percent during the third quarter of 2011. The gain was driven by robust sales of the Chevrolet Optra, which were up 55 percent compared to the same period in 2010, the Caprice (up 45 percent) and the Malibu (up 34 percent). Sales of the Cadillac CTS rose 43 percent, spurred by strong demand for the CTS Coupe.

Crossovers

Crossover sales across all three brands increased by 37 percent during the third quarter of 2011. Growth was driven by sales of the Chevrolet Traverse (up 53 percent), Cadillac SRX (up 29 percent) as well as robust sales of the recently launched Chevrolet Captiva and GMC Terrain.

SUVs

Across Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac, total sales of sport utility vehicles (SUVs) increased by 30 percent during the third quarter of 2011. The Chevrolet Tahoe and the Cadillac Escalade were the best performing SUV nameplates during the period with sales growth of 46 percent and 36 percent, respectively.

Pickups

Total sales for GM’s pickups rose 50 percent during the third quarter of 2011. Sales of the Chevrolet Silverado more than doubled during the quarter, while sales of the GMC Sierra were up 51 percent.