Cobalt posts solid month; GM sales dip

GM’s sales dropped the most among large automakers.

STAFF/WIRE REPORT

General Motors’ sales fell last month, but the Chevrolet Cobalt posted its best November ever.

GM sold 13,629 Cobalts in the U.S. last month, which topped sales in November 2006 by 30 percent and was slightly ahead of November 2005 sales. The car was launched in October 2004 and had minimal sales that fall.

So far this year, Cobalt sales stand at 183,029, which is 8 percent lower than at this time last year. Cobalt sales have been running lower as GM cuts back on low-profit sales to rental car fleets.

Last month, the Cobalt was GM’s second-best selling car. Impala was the best, with sales of 22,824.

The Cobalt is made at GM’s Lordstown complex, along with the Pontiac G5. GM sold 2,170 G5s last month, compared with 1,458 last November.

Overall, GM said its sales dropped 11 percent last month, hurt by falling demand for trucks as well as cuts in sales to rental car fleets, while Chrysler LLC said sales fell 2 percent. Ford Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. both reported flat sales for the month. Honda Motor Co.’s sales were up 5 percent, while Nissan Motor Co.’s sales rose 6 percent.

“Rising fuel prices and sliding home values delivered a one-two punch this month,” Jim Lentz, executive vice president of Toyota’s U.S. sales arm, said in a statement. “But the industry’s not down for the count. Demand for fresh, more fuel-efficient products continues to show strength.”

GM’s truck sales fell 15 percent, a casualty of the slowing pace of new home construction, while car sales declined 4 percent. GM said it also cut sales to rental fleets by 29 percent, compared with last November. GM’s sales were down 6 percent for the first 11 months of the year.

Ford’s November results ended a yearlong string of year-over-year losses as it cut back on sales to rental car companies. Ford said its car sales fell 2 percent, but truck sales rose 2 percent, largely on the strength of the Ford Escape small sport utility vehicle and Ford Edge crossover. Sales of the newly redesigned Ford Focus jumped 18 percent. Ford’s sales dropped 12 percent for the first 11 months of the year.

Toyota continued its drive to overtake Ford this year as the No. 2 automaker, outselling Ford by nearly 15,000 vehicles. Toyota’s sales were flat for the month compared with last November, with a 4 percent increase in car sales — including a 109 percent jump for the hybrid Prius — offset by a 5 percent drop in sales of trucks and sport utility vehicles. Toyota’s sales increased 4 percent for the year.

Chrysler’s car sales shot up 41 percent, led by the new Sebring convertible as well as the Dodge Charger and Avenger. Those sedans helped lift Dodge’s car sales by 75 percent for the month, Chrysler said. But Chrysler’s truck sales were down 13 percent, and the company’s sales were off 3 percent for the year.

Honda’s car sales rocketed up nearly 20 percent on the strength of the new Accord sedan and the subcompact Fit, which saw sales double over last November. But the automaker’s truck sales fell 11 percent. Honda’s sales rose 3 percent for the first 11 months of the year.

Nissan said its sales rose largely on the strength of the new Rogue crossover and the Versa subcompact, which saw sales surge 67 percent.