GM Q1 Global Car Sales Falter Outside US, China

Sales of the company’s GMC brand rose 14.5% as demand for pickups and SUVs grew in the United States as gasoline prices remained low. Buick sales rose 7.6% year over year, Opel/Vauxhall sales were up 3% and Cadillac sales rose 2.5%. Chevrolet sales tumbled 4.3% in the quarter to 1,066,123.

The top five markets for GM vehicles were:

1. China: 961,135 units (up 9.4% year-over-year)
2. United States: 684,039 units (up 5.3%)
3. Brazil: 111,924 units (down 18.2%)
4. United Kingdom: 86,275 units (up 1.2%)
5. Germany: 55,094 units (down 2.7%)

China’s Cadillac sales rose 23% in the quarter, but were overshadowed by pickup truck sales that rose 31% year over year. Crossover sales rose 19%, according to the company.

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Last Friday Volkswagen announced global first quarter sales totaled 2.49 million units, including 1.48 million VW brand vehicles (down 1.3% year over year); 432,800 Audi brand vehicles (up 4.8%); and 51,100 Porsche brand vehicles (up 32%). A company executive noted that first-quarter delivery trends indicate that “there is no guarantee this will be a successful year.”

Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM), the global sales leader for the past three years, is scheduled to report first-quarter global sales next week. Toyota’s U.S. sales have been good so far this year, but sales in Japan have fallen.