Driven by the new Cruze sedan and the globalization of the Chevrolet name, sales of GM’s brand in the first three months of the year reached 1.1 million vehicles worldwide, which is the best first-quarter results in the company’s history. Compared to the first quarter of 2010, Chevrolet recorded a 15 percent increase in sales this year.
According to General Motors, Chevrolet posted double-digit sales gains over the same period last year in four of its five top markets. More specifically, in the States, Chevy sold 416,505 vehicles in the quarter (+23%); in China, sales reached a record 159,303 vehicles (+17 %); in Brazil the company sold 142,734 (-9%); in Mexico 37,291 cars (+12%); in Argentina 34,103 vehicles (+21%) and finally in Europe, Chevrolet delivered 112,482 vehicles (+7%).
Notably, the GM brand doubled sales in Denmark and Turkey, and increased sales in France and Russia by 80 percent and 51 percent, respectively
The new Cruze was one of the driving forces behind Chevrolet’s success with the company delivering 150,652 sedans during the first quarter of 2011, which represents a 117-percent increase over the first quarter of 2010. Since the Cruze was first introduced in Europe in 2009, Chevrolet has sold close to 600,000 examples worldwide.
The company expects to further increase its performance after the launch of the Cruze hatchback, which will go on sale this summer in Europe, followed by other markets around the world. The Cruze will be followed by the new Spark mini-car and Aveo/Sonic small car, both of which are already available in certain markets and will be introduced in additional countries throughout 2011 and 2012, as well as the all-new Malibu mid-size sedan that will be officially revealed this week.
