Demand for Pickup Trucks Spurs 39 Percent Sales Gain at GM
Americans still love their trucks. At least it appears that way when General Motors posted September sales figures for all core brands. Overall retail demand for GM vehicles rose by 39 percent and according to GM Vice President of US sales operations, Don Johnson “big pickups contributed significantly to overall sales improvements.”
Focusing on full-size trucks only, Chevrolet Silverado saw a 66 percent increase in demand for September compared with the previous year – selling 32,185 units, while corporate cousin GMC Sierra witnessed a 53 percent sales increase during the same period.
However, part of the increase in pickup sales, also reflects demand for GM’s substantially revised 2011 Heavy Duty pickups, which are proving particularly popular. As a result, GM’s assembly plant in Flint, Michigan, which builds the Silverado and Sierra is currently running at maximum overtime on two shifts. This has also enabled the plant to reach an important milestone, when the 13th million vehicle to be built there since 1947 – a GMC Sierra HD Denali, rolled off the line on September 30th.
Dana Rouse, shop chairman of UAW Local 598 that represents workers at Flint, said that the ‘overtime is needed to fill the pipeline of hot selling heavy-duty trucks.”
Because of demand, there’s also talk of possibly adding a third shift to production at Flint, though as of yet ,neither GM or the UAW has confirmed whether it will actually happen.
[Source: Automotive News]
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You mean, people aren't flocking to the tiny, high-MPG cars that will save the world? Stupid carbon-emitters.
CHEVY PWNS FACE!!!!