General Motors dealers delivered 226,819 vehicles in the United States in October. This is the best October report for the company’s sales in seven years. Chevrolet sales were up year over year on the strength of the Silverado, Cruze, Traverse and Equinox, and Buick had its best October in more than a decade. Total company sales a year ago were 226,402 units.

“The U.S. economy has steadily improved all year and now we are poised for a stronger expansion backed by an improved job market, higher consumer confidence and lower fuel prices,” said Kurt McNeil, U.S. vice president of Sales Operations. “We have a strong hand to play, with the industry’s newest and most complete line-up of pickups and SUVs, class-leading crossovers like the Buick Encore and a wealth of new products in the pipeline.”

The all-new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon mid-size pickups began shipping to dealers in the second half of September, the Chevrolet City Express van began shipping a week ago and the Chevrolet Trax small crossover launches in early 2015.

October Sales Highlights

Sales of the Cadillac CTS rose 49 per cent and Escalade deliveries were up 18 per cent.A 51 per cent increase in Chevrolet Cruze deliveries drove GM’s compact car sales to their highest level since 2003.The Chevrolet Traverse was up 24 per cent and the Equinox was up 3 per cent.Total GM pickup sales were 67,689 units, up 13 per cent.The Chevrolet Silverado was up 10 per cent, with 46,966 units delivered. The GMC Sierra was up 13 per cent, and combined deliveries of the all-new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon were 2,158 units, with showroom availability improving steadily.Demand for GM’s new large SUVs continues to be very strong, with Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban retail sales up 18 per cent and 9 per cent, respectively. GMC Yukon and Yukon XL retail deliveries were up 49 per cent and 51 per cent, respectively.At Buick, the Enclave was up 2 per cent, the LaCrosse was up 6 per cent and the Encore was up 33 per cent.Industrywide, almost half of the small SUVs sold to retail customers were Buick Encores, according to J.D. Power PIN estimates.

In October, GM’s fleet sales were up 6 per cent. The company posted a 30-per cent gain in commercial sales, marking the 12th consecutive month of year-over-year growth. The increase was driven by small cars, compact crossovers and large pickups.

SOURCE General Motors