GM U.S. October vehicle sales rise 6.3 percent
DETROIT, Nov 4 (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. said
on Wednesday its October U.S. vehicle sales rose 6.3 percent,
continuing its comeback from the effects of two summer strikes.
The world's largest automaker said its total U.S. vehicle
sales last month, including its Saab affiliate and heavy
trucks, were 411,156, compared with 386,763 in the same month
last year. Car sales rose 6.3 percent to 228,443. Total trucks
were up 6.4 percent to 182,713.
GM's sales, which follow record sales reports Tuesday for
Chrysler Corp. and several foreign automakers, came in
ahead of analysts' expectations of a 2-percent increase for the
month. Ford Motor Co. is also projected to report higher
October sales when the results are released later Wednesday.
GM said its truck products gained in every market segment
except for the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size
pickup trucks, which are still increasing production. The
automaker is on pace for its third record year in a row of
overall truck sales, including pickup trucks, sport utility
vehicles and minivans.
GM said its seven new passenger cars had an increase of 9
percent from the nine vehicles they have replaced. Each of the
company's large cars, including the Buick LeSabre and Pontiac
Bonneville, had double-digit sales increases.
"We expect the strong economy to continue for the
foreseeable future, so we're building one-and-a-half million
vehicles during the fourth quarter, more vehicles than we've
built in any fourth quarter since 1988," Roy Roberts, GM vice
president and group executive in charge of North American
sales, service and marketing, said in a statement. |
