GM Of Canada Posts Best Saturn Sales In May

Anthony Fontanelle
June 7, 2007

For May 2007, General Motors of Canada dealers delivered a total of 45,359 units, an increased of 2.2 percent over the same month last year.

“GM is pleased with our continued growth in May, driven primarily by strong retail sales, up 10.6 percent overall. Our Chevrolet and Pontiac divisions remain strong with growth in small cars and small utilities and the continued success of our new Oshawa-built Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups,” said Marc Comeau, GM of Canada’s vice-president of sales, service, and marketing.

Comeau added “But the real big news is Saturn - posting its best sales month in history. The momentum is building at Saturn retailers on the heels of introducing exciting new vehicles like the Saturn Outlook, award winning Saturn Aura sedan and Saturn Aura Green Line Hybrid.”

The Outlook, a premium mid-size crossover SUV which debuted at the New York International Auto Show (NAIAS), is based on the new GM Lambda platform. The vehicle features lowest sticker price among GM's Lambda crossover SUVs.

The Aura, a midsize car, debuted at the 2006 New York Auto Show in April, is equipped with a 252 horsepower 3.6 L V6, enhanced Saturn spark plug wire, and a new 6T70 six-speed automatic transmission. The Green Line versions, built at Kansas City, Kansas, Fairfax Assembly plant, flaunt the 2.4L Ecotec engine mated to an electric motor/generator and the 4T45-E four-speed automatic transmission. The powertrain is rated at 164 horsepower and 159 lbf·ft of torque. The Green Line has an EPA estimated fuel economy of 28 mpg city and 35 mpg highway, which the automaker claims is up to a 30 percent improvement over the Aura XE.

Overall sales of the Detroit-based automaker rose 10.6 percent for the month and 5.1 percent calendar year-to-date. Highlights include strong performance from small cars like the Chevrolet Aveo and the Pontiac Wave and the Pontiac Vibe, up 9.4 percent, 14.9 percent and 44.9 percent, respectively. Small utilities remain strong, with the Chevrolet Equinox, Pontiac Torrent, Saturn Vue and the Chevrolet HHR up a combined 9.7 percent. The Saab and Cadillac divisions posted 59.5 percent and 7.8 percent gains, respectively.

The award winning Oshawa-built Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups continue to perform well. Combined, the product line reported 23 percent sales increase in May. Additionally, the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook and the Buick Enclave crossovers have had a solid start, leading GM to a 42.6 percent overall increase in mid-size utilities.

During the GM annual meeting, CEO Rick Wagoner said, “GM's positive retail sales and revenue growth trends reflect our focus on product excellence, which remains the most important element of our business strategy. Over the last 18 months, we've launched a number of great new cars and trucks such as our all-new midsize crossover GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave, and the Saturn Aura and Chevy Silverado, which were voted car and truck of the year, respectively, at the 2007 North American International Auto Show.”

“And going forward, we'll continue this steady cadence of great products... for example, this fall, we'll introduce two very important cars which have scored tremendously well in our consumer research... the next-generation Chevrolet Malibu family sedan and the Cadillac CTS luxury sedan,” he added. “Beyond this, last November at the Los Angeles Auto Show, we announced our intention to produce a plug-in version of the Saturn VUE Green Line hybrid, which has the potential to achieve double the fuel efficiency of any SUV on the road today.”

Source:  Amazines.com