8.6.2006
Market Snapshot: GM reports record sales in Russia

In May 2006, GM sold 188,896 cars and vans in Europe, up 17,900 units compared to May 2005, for a market share of 9.6 percent (2005: 9.6 percent). Sales increases versus last year’s May were achieved in Russia (+79.2 percent), the Ukraine (+57.2 percent), Italy (+57.7 percent), Denmark (+54.1 percent), Sweden (+40.1 percent) and Germany (+11.8 percent). GM sold 874,787 vehicles in Europe’s total vehicle market in the first five months of 2006, up 12,172 units compared with the same period last year. GM’s share for that period was 9.34 percent (2005: 9.6 percent).

"May was GM's best ever month in Russia, with sales of 11,110 vehicles, a plus of 79.2 percent over last year. We have shown consistent growth in Central and Eastern Europe over the past months as our product portfolio, dealer network and manufacturing location strategies are starting to take effect on a multibrand basis. With strong market growth and the opportunities that this presents, we are in a good position to continue our growth and expansion plans," said Jonathan Browning, GM Europe Vice President Sales, Marketing and Aftersales.

The first five months of the year have been favorable to the Cadillac, Corvette and HUMMER organization in Europe. Cadillac is on track to achieve its long term objectives. Corvette sold 572 cars from January to May 2006, of which 60 percent is Z06. HUMMER sold 673 vehicles in total Europe in the first five months of 2006, its solid growth being mainly driven by the HUMMER H3.

Saab sales continue to show good growth globally. The largest growth rate was achieved in Europe, where 40,745 cars were sold in 2006 through May, representing a 24.3 percent increase against the same period last year. Worldwide sales increased to 57,303 cars during the first five months of the year, a 16.3 percent increase against the year-ago period. With 11,863 units sold, the U.K. is the largest market for Saab in Europe, followed by Sweden, where 10,807 cars were sold in the first five months, up 3,373 cars or 45.4 percent versus the same period a year ago. In May 2006, Saab sold 12,519 cars globally and 8,842 in Europe, achieving a European market share of 0.45 percent.

In May 2006, registrations of Opel/Vauxhall passenger cars and commercial vehicles in Europe totaled 151,122, 9,710 units more than in the year-earlier month. The market share reached 7.7 percent, slightly less than the 7.9 percent achieved in May 2005. However, with growth for the first four months of 2006 at 7.5 percent, the brand still sees a steady increase for this year. The total number of year-to-date Opel/Vauxhall registrations in Europe is 700,276 units. Sales in Opel’s home market of Germany also grew in May 2006, with registrations of Opel passenger cars and commercial vehicles rising by 4,056 units to 36,340. Compared to May 2005, this represents a market share increase of 0.4 percentage points to 10.2 percent. A total of 144,603 Opel vehicles were registered in Germany in the first five months of 2006 (market share: 9.3 percent), with passenger car sales alone reaching 10.5 percent in May, putting Opel back into second place in the overall registration statistics.

Vauxhall continued to perform strongly in the U.K. in May, with car registrations up by 1.2 percent from 26,513 to 26,829 units, the highest May volume since 2000. Zafira had an impressive month, selling a total of 4,352 units, 1,796 units ahead of its nearest rival in the MPV segment. The Vectra also continued to perform strongly, especially in the retail sector, where it outsold all of its mainstream rivals and saw a 158.2 percent increase in sales.

In May, Chevrolet sold 28,480 vehicles (incl. including vehicles produced by GM Avtovaz for the Russian market and U.S.-produced vehicles), 26.1 percent more than in May 2005. Outstanding May results were recorded in Italy (+92.3 percent), Southeast Europe (+24 percent), Turkey (+23.8 percent), the Ukraine (+36.2 percent) and Russia (+67.1 percent). Chevrolet had its highest market share in May in the Ukraine (9.69 percent) and, with an overall European share of 1.47 percent, above-average shares in Russia (5.43 percent), in the countries of Southeast Europe (2.73 percent), Denmark (2.07 percent), Greece (2.17 percent), and the Netherlands (1.78 percent). From January to May 2006, Chevrolet sold a total of 131,220 vehicles, increasing its sales volume by 11.8 percent over the same period last year. Chevrolet’s market share in the January to May period was at 1.43 percent vs. 1.3 percent in the same period last year.

Important: All data are based on preliminary registration figures.