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Record European Sales for Chevrolet and Saab in July 2006


August 2006
 Filed under: GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATE Car News | GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATE Headlines

* Chevrolet grows July sales by 9.5 percent
* Saab’s European sales break new records
* 83 percent sales growth for GM in Eastern Europe in July based on Opel and Chevrolet
* Opel/Vauxhall on track for improvements in market mix and quality of sales

Zurich (2006-08-07) -- GM Europe posted record sales again for Chevrolet (29,236 units, +9.5 percent) and Saab (6,327 units, +16.4 percent) in July 2006. Year-to-date Chevrolet sales grew by 10.8 percent across Europe (from 171,223 units for Jan-Jul 2005 to 189,659 for Jan-Jul 2006) and Saab grew by 23.4 percent across Europe (from 46,207 units for Jan-Jul 2005 to 57,009 in Jan-Jul 2006).
“Chevrolet and Saab are on a roll. With Opel/Vauxhall, we are achieving our objectives in channel mix, carline mix and country mix to increase the profitability of sales. Our growth strategy for Eastern Europe is paying off, evidenced by the 83 percent increase for the month of July,” says Jonathan Browning, GM Europe Vice President, Sales, Marketing & Aftersales.

GM Europe’s success in Eastern Europe in July, showing an increase in sales of 75 percent compared to July 2005, was largely based on Chevrolet (+4,000 vehicles) and Opel (+743 vehicles) sales increases. In the first seven months of 2006, 64,549 vehicles were sold in Russia (+53.6 percent), of which 55,116 were Chevrolets (+18,925 units) and 8,943 Opels (+3,442 units). In the Ukraine, GM sold 24,301 vehicles in the first seven months of 2006 (+20.6 percent), 19,216 Chevrolets (+1,064 units) and 5,010 Opels (+3,046 units).

General Motors sold 1,226,617 vehicles in Europe’s total vehicle market in the first seven months of 2006, slightly down by 707 vehicles compared with the same period last year. GM’s share for that period was 9.3 percent (2005: 9.6 percent). Sales growth in 2006 for GM, compared to the first seven months a year ago, was particularly marked in Russia (+53.6 percent), Sweden (+26.2 percent) and Ireland (+14.4 percent). In July 2006, GM sold 156,680 cars and vans in Europe, for an improved market share for the month of 9.1 percent (2005: 9.0 percent). Sales increases versus last year’s July were achieved in Russia (+86.5 percent), Ukraine (+75.2 percent), Sweden (+37.8 percent) and Belgium (+15.6 percent).

Chevrolet grows July sales by 9.5 percent
Chevrolet sales across Europe increased by 9.5 percent in July 2006 over July 2005. Car sales reached record levels of 29,236 units versus 26,705 units in the same month last year. The main areas of growth in July were again Central and Eastern Europe, as well as Germany and Ireland. July sales in Russia almost doubled, from 5,649 to 10,356 units. Chevrolet Germany sold 19.1 percent more cars in July 2006 than in the same month last year; the growth rate for Chevrolet in Ireland was 66.4 percent and in Ukraine 60.5 percent. Overall July market share across Europe reached a record 1.7 percent. For the first time, penetration in Ukraine was over 10 percent, at 10.9 percent.
In the January to July period, Chevrolet increased vehicle sales by 10.8 percent across Europe: From 171,223 units in 2005 to 189,659 units this year. With the new Epica top-of-the-line sedan coming on stream in the second half of 2006 and the new diesel-powered Captiva SUV being launched in several markets in autumn, Chevrolet expects continued strong growth in the remaining months and annual sales well over the 295,459 units last year. Market share in the first seven months reached 1.4 percent and record growth was again registered in Central and Eastern Europe.

Saab’s European sales break new records
During the first seven months, Saab sold 57,009 cars in Europe, which constitutes an increase of 10,802 cars compared to the same period last year. In July, Saab registrations reached 6,327 cars in Europe, which means a 16.4 percent increase compared with a year ago and is also the best July ever in Saab’s history. “We have seen very encouraging figures for us at Saab this year, which also means that we are becoming less dependent on only a few big markets. Our customers appreciate the combination of attractive cars with unique design and competitive engine offers,” says Jonathan Browning, GM Europe Vice President, Sales, Marketing & Aftersales. Markets with good sales development, aside from the U.K. and Sweden, are Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Belgium. July figures were the best ever for Europe as a whole as well as for Sweden and Germany. To point at one successful model, the Saab 9-3 SportCombi with the diesel engine makes a combination that is hard to beat. In Sweden, the success with BioPower continues.

Opel growing in Northern Europe, Benelux, Ireland, Russia and Ukraine
GM’s biggest volume brands in Europe, Opel/Vauxhall sold 120,749 cars and light commercial vehicles in total Europe in July (July 2005: 126,570 units), reaching a market share of 7.0 percent. Strong markets for Opel/Vauxhall in July were the U.K., Spain, Belgium, Russia and Ukraine. From January to July 2006, Opel and Vauxhall, achieved total sales of 976,368 vehicles, compared with 1,007,376 units a year earlier and market share of 7.4 percent. The biggest sales gains were realized in the Benelux region (+4,420 vehicles), Ireland (+1,943 vehicles) and Denmark (+1,759 vehicles) as well as in Russia and Ukraine (+6,488 vehicles). In the first seven months of 2006, Opel improved market share in several markets compared to the year-ago period, including: Ireland: 7.2 percent (6.5 percent), the Netherlands: 9.3 percent (8.8 percent), Denmark: 5.3 percent (4.4 percent), Poland: 9.3 percent (8.4 percent), Russia and Ukraine: 1.1 percent (0.7 percent).
With Zafira and Meriva, Opel/Vauxhall was again the number one brand in the Monocab segment in both, the January-July period and in the month of July. Meriva was the leading model in the Small Monocab Segment in the first seven months of the year and in July 2006.
In the U.K., Vauxhall increased both sales and market share in July compared to the same month in 2005, despite the U.K. market as a whole shrinking by 3.6 percent. Total Vauxhall registrations rose to 26,363, up by 4.8 percent on July 2005, reaching a market share of 13.4 percent. This strong performance was fuelled mainly by strong retail demand for all models. The Vectra, which is traditionally a predominantly fleet model, became the top seller in its class with private buyers for the first time since 1998.

Cadillac, Corvette and HUMMER perform well in niche markets
General Motors’ luxury brands, Cadillac, Corvette and HUMMER, performed well in their respective niche markets in the first seven months of the year: Corvette sold 866 cars and Cadillac’s European 2006 sales grew 28 percent, from 1,590 to 2,032 cars by the end of July. HUMMER sales of the H2 and H3 increased to 983 units (from 269 units in 2005).






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