GENERAL MOTORS Cavalier sales drop while Sunfire posts a 50% rise

Asian car brands grab more market share in the United States.
STAFF/WIRE REPORT
Sales of the Lordstown-built Chevrolet Cavalier slipped in March as overall sales at General Motors increased.
Chevrolet sold 17,128 Cavaliers last month, a 5 percent drop from the 18,041 sold in the same month last year.
For the first three months of this year, sales are off 4 percent at 50,061.
Meanwhile, sales of the other car built at GM's Lordstown complex increased. Pontiac sold 4,155 Sunfires in March, which was a 53 percent increase over the 2,718 sold in March 2003. For the first quarter, Sunfire sales are up 11 percent at 8,241.
Both the Cavalier and Sunfire will be discontinued later this year as Chevrolet introduces the Cobalt.
A look at the industry
GM said Thursday that it sold about 415,000 new cars and trucks in this country in March, which was a 6 percent increase. Sales of Chevrolet cars were particularly strong. They were up 33 percent, with Impala setting a monthly sales record at 30,175.
Overall, Detroit's Big Three automakers ended the first quarter on somewhat of a positive note with a slight jump in sales, but their Asian rivals continued a trend of grabbing greater domestic business.
GM, Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group ended the January-March period with sales up about 1 percent from a year ago. But Asian brands were up 8 percent for the same period, and they continued to gain market share.
The 10 major Asian brands that do business in the U.S. market saw their combined market share grow to 34.6 percent in the first quarter, up from 32.8 percent in the year-ago quarter, according to Autodata Corp.
At the same time, the Big Three's U.S. share fell to 59.1 percent from 60.2 percent a year ago, Autodata figures show.
Upbeat
Still, after major automakers reported March sales tallies, most industry executives were upbeat about prospects for the coming months.
"March was a solid month, and tax refunds should help keep spring sales brisk," said Jim O'Connor, Ford's group vice president for North American marketing, sales and service.
Industrywide, U.S. sales rose 3.8 percent in March versus a year ago, a jump largely anticipated because of depressed results last March when many people put off major purchases and watched the war with Iraq on television.
The seasonally adjusted annual sales rate for March was 16.7 million units, compared with 16.4 million in February and 16.2 million in March 2003.
The sales rate indicates what sales for the full year would be if they remained at the same pace for all 12 months. Full-year sales for 2003 were 16.7 million.
Japan's No. 1 carmaker, Toyota Motor Corp., ended its best-ever first quarter in the United States with its best-ever March, as sales rose 5.5 percent.