January 16, 2006

GM's worldwide sales top 9 million vehicles for first time in 27 years

Detroit, Michigan – General Motors sold 9.17 million cars and trucks worldwide in 2005, up 2 per cent over 2004 and only the second time that it has sold more than nine million units in a calendar year, following the 9.55 million sold in 1978.

The record was helped by strong results in Asia Pacific (up 20 per cent), Latin America, Africa and the Middle East (up 19 per cent) and Europe (up 1.3 per cent). Global sales of Chevrolet increased 4.4 per cent to 4.37 million units, compared with 4.18 million in 2004, and was fueled in part by exceptionally strong sales in Central and Western Europe (up 26 per cent) and in China, where sales exceeded 100,000 units. Chevrolet was also the top-selling automotive brand in the U.S.

Hummer sales also nearly doubled globally in 2005, due to the launch of the new midsize H3, which saw significant sales in Canada, Mexico and Saudi Arabia, among the 33 national world markets where it is sold. Further growth is expected outside North America in 2006 with the availability of H3s in a left-hand-drive version from GM's South Africa assembly plant; right-hand-drive and diesel models for overseas sales will be available in 2007 and 2008.

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