29.4.2004
GME reports record commercial vehicles sales

Continuing the positive trend set already last year, GME reached another milestone in the Commercial Vehicles (CV) market during the month of March.

March registrations of Opel/Vauxhall commercial vehicles rose to an all-time record high of nearly 20,000 units in Western and Central Europe, an increase of 23.3 percent compared with March 2003. Market share was also at a new high of 6.9 percent (versus a 6.3 market share in March 2003).

During the month of March, the Vivaro product range had its highest order intake ever, at more than 7,100 units. Best ever registration performance for a single month was recorded in March in Western and Central Europe (20,000 units), the UK (7,900 units), Germany (2,900 units), Belgium (780 units), Ireland (300 units), and Austria (270 units). Best ever market share performance for a single month was also recorded in Austria (7.1%), Italy (4.6%), Portugal (13.5%), and Belgium (7.2%).

GME with its Opel and Vauxhall brands offer a wide CV product range, consisting of five models covering a vast breadth of commercial activities: the new Movano (launched in November 2003), the Vivaro and Combo, as well as the highly successful Astra Van and Corsa Van.

In the first quarter of 2004, GME increased sales of commercial vehicles by 9.2%, from 39,000 units in Q1 2003 to almost 43,000 units in Q1 this year.

Last year, GME increased CV sales by a total of 23.2 percent to a total of 154,400 units in 2003. Said Jonathan Browning, GME Vice President Sales and Marketing: "We are pleased to see that we are hitting the mark with our CV product portfolio. Our Commercial Vehicle sales continue to exceed expectations. We are confident that our portfolio along with the dedicated CV organization we put in place will spur further growth."