Cruze Sales Dip in December, Down 17% for Year

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Sales of the Lordstown-built Chevrolet Cruze continued their slide in December, as deliveries posted a 5.3% decline from the same period the previous year, General Motors Co. reported today.

GM reported that 16,849 Cruzes were sold during December 2015 versus 17,800 sold in December 2014.

For the year, GM said 226,602 Cruzes were sold compared to 273,060 sold in 2014, a decline of 17%.

Overall sales across GM’s portfolio increased, the company reported. In December, the automaker sold 290,230 new cars and trucks, a 5.7% increase over the same month in 2014, thanks to strong demand for truck models such as the Chevrolet Silverado.

“The momentum that the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra have carried all year, hits like the Chevrolet Trax and Colorado, and innovative designs like the GMC Canyon and the Buick Encore, have had a tremendous positive impact on our sales results,” said Kurt McNeil, GM’s U.S. vice president of sales operations. “In a record year for the industry, GM gained significant retail market share and we grew our commercial business by 12%.”

Full-year sales stood at 3,082,366 new cars and trucks, a 5% boost from 2014.

Ford Motor Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV’s North American operations – FCA US – also reported gains in what turned out to be a hot year for new auto sales.

Ford reported its best December sales since 2005 with 239,242 new cars and trucks sold, an increase of 8.4% compared to December 2014. The Dearborn, Mich., automaker also reported it sold 2.6 million vehicles in 2015, a 5.3% increase from 2014 and its best annual sales since 2006.

And, FCA US reported it sold 2.24 million vehicles last year, up 7.3% from 2014. For December, the automaker reported sales of 217,527 new cars and trucks, up 12.6% compared to December 2014, the company said.

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