GM, FCA Post Sales Gains in Q3 as Ford Slips

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Third-quarter auto sales were up for two of the American automakers, as General Motors Co. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles both posted gains for most of their brands, while Ford Motor Co. saw a dip in sales as September’s figures couldn’t keep up with last year’s boost from Hurricane Harvey.

General Motors, which this year began reporting sales quarterly instead of monthly, reported a sales boost of 4.6% to 758,376 deliveries as three of its four brands were up year-over year. Only Buick reported a decline in sales from last year as 52,891 cars were sold, down 12%.

Chevrolet remained GM’s top-seller as 528,100 cars, trucks and SUVs left dealership lots, up 4.6% from the third quarter of 2017. Leading the brand in sales was the Silverado pickup line with 155,529 delivered, followed by the Equinox crossover with 73,967. The Lordstown-built Cruze, meanwhile, continued its slip as just 37,836 were sold, down 26.2% from last year.

Elsewhere under the GM umbrella, Cadillac sales rose 3% to 39,222 and GMC’s were up 6.6% to 138,163.

Fiat Chrysler’s sales totaled 564,507 for the quarter, with each month posting gains, topped by September’s 15% year-over-year climb to 199,819 deliveries. It was the company’s best September since 2000.

Jeep posted double-digit percentage point increases each month of the quarter, including a 14% rise in September to 83,764, to finish the quarter at 251,172 vehicles sold. In the No. 2 spot was the Ram truck line with 156,320 sold, followed by Dodge’s 108,795. The Chrysler brand posted a decline in sales each month, finishing the quarter at 38,526 cars sold.

Meanwhile, Ford saw it’s September sales slip 11.2% to 197,404, concluding an already under-performing quarter as sales in July were down 3.2% to 194,026 but up in August to 218,504, a 4.1% jump.

The September drop, Ford Motor Co. noted in its monthly sales release, “presented a tough scenario for comparison from pent-up demand and replacement demand following Hurricane Harvey in Houston, while September 2018 experienced some weather-related impact due to Hurricane Florence.”

Overall for the quarter, Ford Motor Co.’s sales totaled 609,934, with the lion’s share carried by the Ford brand, which accounted for 585,553 vehicles leaving dealerships. The Lincoln brand, meanwhile, delivered 25,011 cars and SUVs.

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