DETROIT--General Motors Co. (GM) said Monday it sold 9.2 million
vehicles in 2012 as buyers in North America and other international
markets offset a major decline in Europe.
Sales rose 2.9% last year compared with 2011 as the auto maker
made some inroads with its Chevrolet brand in such countries as
Brazil, China and Russia, which churned the biggest sales gains
following North America.
GM edged out Volkswagen AG (VOW.XE, VLKAY), which reported a
global sales volume of 9.07 million, an 11.2% sales increase over
2011. What is unknown is whether GM will retain the title of
world's biggest auto maker in terms of volume it took from Japan's
Toyota Motor Co. (TM, 7203.TO) in 2011 following the aftermath of
the production shutdown caused by the tsunami.
Toyota said in early 2012 it aimed to sell 9.7 million new cars
and trucks this year. Such an amount would surpass GM's global
record of 9.55 million set in 1978. Toyota expected to release its
results at the end of January.
GM is intensifying its push to expand Chevrolet's global
presence this year as it looks to defend itself internationally
while winning new customers at home. GM needs Chevrolet to once
again connect with consumers in the U.S. to stem the auto maker's
ongoing market-share erosion.
Chevrolet accounted for 4.9 million of the vehicles sold by GM
on a global basis. Chevrolet sales in the U.S. were 1.85 million
followed by Brazil at 643,000.
GM Chief Executive Dan Akerson said he expects the auto maker to
achieve a modest U.S. market share increase this year. U.S. market
share fell to an 88-year low of 17.9% in 2012. The auto maker is
also for the first time rolling out a global marketing campaign for
Chevrolet under the slogan "Find New Roads."
"It starts and ends with product," Mr. Akerson said in a meeting
with reporters in Detroit last week. "The sun will be at our backs.
These will be good years, not only here domestically but on an
international basis."
Mr. Akerson credits the 25 new or refreshed Chevrolet vehicles
the auto maker will introduce over the next year as the key to
pulling customers into showrooms. Two of the biggest to be
introduced are the refreshed Chevrolet Silverado and GM Sierra
pickup trucks slated to hit showrooms later this year.
Despite the new vehicle introductions, GM's U.S. market share
will slip again said Larry Dominique, president of ALG which
provides vehicle and lease information and is owned by TrueCar.com.
Mr. Dominique estimates GM's market share will slip to 17.6% this
year from 17.9% last year.
Pickup trucks, he said, already have a loyal customer base and
other vehicles such as the refreshed 2014 Corvette Stingray won't
be enough to "move the needle." The Stingray was unveiled Sunday in
Detroit.
The number of GM vehicle sales in North America rose 3.2% to
3.02 million, but the biggest jump was in the international markets
where sales climbed 10.2% to 3.61 million. Europe was the biggest
drag with sales falling in that region 8.2% to 1.61 million. South
America sales overall slipped 1.9% to 1.05 million.
Write to Jeff Bennett at Jeff.Bennett@wsj.com
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