US Automakers Post Small Gains in Sales

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – All three American car manufacturers reported small year-over-year increases in sales this morning.

General Motors Co. sales reached 229,296 in November, a 1.5% climb compared to a year ago. Chevrolet led the company with 156,907 leaving showrooms, a 4.8% gain from last year. The Silverado pickup truck topped sales for the brand with 45,001 sold last month, up just more than 5% from November last year.

Sales of the Lordstown-built Chevy Cruze continued to fall as 16,073 were sold nationwide last month, a 29.7% decline from a year ago. The Cruze hasn’t posted a year-over-year sales increase since January, when 18,693 were sold.

The only other General Motors brand to report an increase was Cadillac, which saw sales rise 1.8% with 13,390 cars and SUVs delivered. The SRX crossover led with 5,087.

GM’s two other brands, Buick and GMC, both saw sales drop 16.6% and 1.9%, respectively. Buick’s month-end sales totaled 15,960 while GMC reported 43,039 vehicles delivered.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles led sales for the Big Three as sales rose 3% to 175,974, good for the company’s best November since 2000. Of the group’s American brands, only Jeep and Ram reported sales gains, 20% and 1% respectively. Sales of Jeeps reached 68,903 with the Cherokee leading deliveries with 17,426 picked up by buyers, while the Ram truck line rose slightly to 41,107.

For the Chrysler brand, sales fell 12% to 23,953, with the 200 topping sales at 10,332, a 28% drop from November 2014. Dodge sales were also down, falling 8% to 38,938. The Caravan led Dodge sales with 8,158.

Ford Motor Co. reported an incremental 0.4% increase for its two brands as sales reached 187,794. Sales of Lincolns fell 2.4% to 7,918, while sales of Fords rose 0.6% to 179,876. The top-selling vehicle for Lincoln was the MKZ with 2,325 delivered last month, while the F-Series pickup line topped sales for Ford with 65,192 hitting the streets.

The dip in sales could be because of the calendar, according to market research firm J.D. Power and Associates. Last month had the fewest selling days – 23 — since September 2013 and was the first November since 2012 to have just four selling weekends.

With only one month remaining in the year, it appears that all three American manufacturers will top last year’s sales. Through the end of November, all reported year-to-date increases in the number of vehicles delivered. Fiat Chrysler sales are up 7% to 2,026,380, Ford Motor Co. sales 5% to 2,283553, and GM sales 4.9% to 2,792,136.

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