GM's Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick and GMC Record 19.7% Increase in April Sales

GM's big four survivors (Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, GMC) are on a roll: April sales have increased 19.7% over last year and calendar year sales are up 31%.

The Detroit automaker gives a lot of credit to its launch vehicles: Chevrolet's Camaro/Equinox, Buick's LaCrosse, GMC's Terrain, and Cadillac's SRX. According to the General, the "new" GM's launch vehicles account for a quarter of all GM retail sales.

However, GM's overall performance is not so great when you include Saab, Hummer, Saturn and Pontiac (brands either discontinued or sold) as year-to-date sales were up only by 12.9% (661,319 units in Jan.-April 2010 vs 585,910 units in Jan.-April 2009).

Steve Carlisle, U.S. Sales Operations VP, had this to say: "Clearly, our launch vehicles are hitting the mark with consumers who are looking for bold styling, quality, safety and fuel efficiency. But our results aren't limited to just our newest vehicles. Sales of our full-size pickups and our mid-sized crossovers continue to strengthen."

For a full breakdown of the important stuff, scroll on down:

• Chevrolet: total sales up 17 percent compared to a year ago; retail sales up 32 percent; Chevrolet Equinox retail sales increased 276 percent; Camaro retail sales continued to set the pace for the sport segment with 7,830 deliveries; Chevrolet Traverse retail sales were up 30 percent for the month, and are up 10 percent for the year; Silverado retail sales were up 23 percent, the second consecutive month with a retail sales increase of 20 percent or more.
  
• Buick: total sales up 36 percent; retail sales up 42 percent; Buick LaCrosse retail sales rose 237 percent and are up 154 percent for the year; Buick Enclave retail sales rose 29 percent in April and are up 11 percent for the year.
  
• GMC: total sales up 18 percent; retail sales up 37 percent; GMC Terrain retail sales were up 537 percent for the month and 313 percent for the year; GMC Acadia retail sales increased 20 percent for the month and are up 26 percent year-to-date
  
• Cadillac: total sales up 36 percent; retail sales up 31 percent; Cadillac SRX retail sales were up 504 percent for the month and 405 percent for the year; Cadillac CTS had its best month of the year, with retail sales up 9 percent vs. March.
  
• Fleet sales for GM's four brands were 58,000 for the month, down 2 percent vs. the prior year.
  
• Crossovers for GM's four brands doubled sales in April compared to last year.
  
• Combined Total and Retail sales for Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac have increased year-over-year for seven straight months.
  

By Phil Alex