The American car industry is performing remarkably well following some very impressive car sales reports in October (despite the shutdown) for Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors (GM).
Sales for Chrysler increased by 11 percent, Ford sales increased by 14 percent, and GM car sales rose by 16%.
With strong year-over-year growth GM sold a total of 226,402 vehicles in October 2013, representing a 16 percent rise compared to October last year.
Kurt McNeil, GM’s Vice President for U.S. Sales, said that “the sales tempo really picked up after the government shutdown ended.” All GM brands (GMC, Chevrolet, Buick, and Cadillac) performed well in terms of car sales.
He added:
“The sales so far are an indicator that the economy is doing well. I think Octobers results were really solid.”
GM’s Buick brand experienced the biggest increase in car sales by 31.2 percent, with 17,555 units sold. However, Chevrolet, which increased car sales by 14.7 percent, is still GM’s biggest seller – with 155,214 units sold.
Buick year-over-year sales have soared.
October also represents the 43rd consecutive month of year-over-year gains for Chrysler, which includes the Dodge, Ram, and Jeep brands.
Ram sales increased by 22 percent, Jeep sales increased by 7 percent, Dodge sales went up by 18 percent, and Chrysler brand sales increased by 6 percent.
Reid Bigland, Chrysler’s Head of U.S. Sales Operations, said: that “after a choppy start to the beginning of the month, Chrysler Group car sales accelerated in the second half of the month with renewed consumer confidence and the launch of our all-new Jeep Cherokee.”
The second biggest U.S. car company, Ford, reported a year-over-year sales increase of 14 percent. In total, the car company sold 191,985 units in October.
Ford reported the biggest gains in its passenger car division, which includes cars such as the Taurus, Fiesta, and Mustang.
Passenger cars like the Fiesta have done well.
Erich Merkle, Ford Sales Analyst says it is the company’s best October retail sales performance since 2004.
He added: “A lot of it is our new vehicles. So, when you start taking a look at vehicles like the Escape and particularly the Fusion, that really helped us to have a really great October retail sales month, which was our best October retail sales month going all the way back to 2004.”
Car Sales Tables
General Motors (GM) Sales Tables
| October | Total Sales | YOY Change |
| Chevrolet | 155,214 | 14.7% |
| GMC | 38,841 | 15.7% |
| Buick | 17,555 | 31.2% |
| Cadillac | 14,792 | 9.5% |
| Total | 226,402 | 15.7% |
| CYTD | Total Sales | YOY Change |
| Chevrolet | 1,648,543 | 6.0% |
| GMC | 372,054 | 9.4% |
| Buick | 175,058 | 16.2% |
| Cadillac | 148,206 | 26.7% |
| Total GM | 2,343,861 | 8.3% |
| Fleet Segment | Month | YOY Change |
| Share of Sales | 21.5% | (0.3) points |
| Inventory | Units at Month-end |
Days Supply (selling day adjusted) |
| All Vehicles | 727,812 | 87 |
Source: General Motors
Chrysler Group LLC U.S. Sales Tables Thru October 2013
| Month Sales | Vol % | ||
| Model | Curr Yr | Pr Yr | Change |
| 500 | 2,378 | 3,720 | -36% |
| 500L | 1,296 | 0 | NEW |
| FIAT BRAND | 3,674 | 3,720 | -1% |
| 200 | 8,348 | 8,758 | -5% |
| 300 | 4,542 | 5,183 | -12% |
| Town & Country | 10,562 | 8,281 | 28% |
| CHRYSLER BRAND | 23,452 | 22,222 | 6% |
| Compass | 4,176 | 2,486 | 68% |
| Patriot | 5,581 | 4,209 | 33% |
| Wrangler | 11,780 | 11,310 | 4% |
| Liberty | 0 | 4,099 | -100% |
| Grand Cherokee | 14,263 | 11,919 | 20% |
| Cherokee | 579 | 0 | NEW |
| JEEP BRAND | 36,379 | 34,023 | 7% |
| Caliber | 0 | 92 | -100% |
| Dart | 5,617 | 5,455 | 3% |
| Avenger | 5,406 | 7,637 | -29% |
| Charger | 7,864 | 4,924 | 60% |
| Challenger | 3,256 | 2,686 | 21% |
| Viper | 69 | 0 | NEW |
| Journey | 6,373 | 5,955 | 7% |
| Caravan | 11,609 | 10,603 | 9% |
| Nitro | 0 | 29 | |
| Durango | 5,120 | 3,230 | 59% |
| DODGE BRAND | 45,314 | 40,611 | 12% |
| Dakota | 0 | 2 | |
| Ram P/U | 29,846 | 25,222 | 18% |
| Cargo Van | 848 | 385 | 120% |
| ProMaster Van | 570 | 0 | NEW |
| RAM BRAND | 31,264 | 25,609 | 22% |
| TOTAL CHRYSLER GROUP LLC | 140,083 | 126,185 | 11% |
| TOTAL CAR | 38,776 | 38,455 | 1% |
| TOTAL TRUCK | 101,307 | 87,730 | 15% |
Source: Chrysler Group LLC