Proof in the Emphasis from GM Lineup Changes

The GM team receive the proof they needed that ridding the company of the sedans that were dragging down sales was the right choice.

When making an unpopular choice to operate a company with fewer employees than in the past and negatively affect thousands of people, the need to have something to support the decision becomes an important one.  Even if it caused several employees to begin a job search for new employment at plants that are being closed by the company. The recent overall sales show that GM has shifted focus the right way.

SUV Sales Continue to Rise for GM

Setting aside the five plants that are being closed, GM reported an increase in sales for 2018 in the SUV market. This is an increase that comes during a year that was projected to show the beginnings of a slowing sales market for the entire automotive industry. The crossovers sold by GM in 2018 totaled 1,034,808 which was a seven percent increase compared to 2017. When the body-on-frame models were added to the mix, the total rose to 1,295,700 models that were sold during the previous year, which is a staggering number.

GM Trucks Also did Extremely Well

For the 2018 calendar year, the total number of trucks that were sold when combining the Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Sierra, and GMC Canyon came in at 973,463 in the US. That wasn’t a number that totaled what Ford sold in the F-Series models but this number is certainly a large number. The aggregate number was greater for GM when you consider the comparison for the year before. The GM team has created the success and the focus on the models that are making more money for them than any other.

More Money for Larger GM Trucks

What might come as a surprise is a fact that not only were there more trucks sold by GM than in any other year in the past, many of them were crew cab models which are more expensive than other trucks. In fact, during the previous quarter, more than ninety percent of the new trucks that were sold by GM were crew cab models. For the GMC brand, more than seventy percent of these trucks were the Denali and AT4 models which have the highest sticker prices among the trucks that GM sells at this size.

is the Decision to Delete Sedans the Right One

If you’re wondering if the decision to get rid of most of the sedans in the market is a smart one for GM, let’s take a look at the numbers. The Chevrolet Silverado was sold at a rate of 585,581 for 2018. This number is more than what both Buick and Cadillac sold combined. Buick was able to reach a total of 206,863 and Cadillac sold a total of 154,702 models. As you can see, pickup trucks and SUVs are where the focus needs to be in the market, which supports the decision of the GM leadership to delete sedans from their brands.