Truck sales at GM were down 20% in September. GM said it was the result of a -46% year-over-year reduction in fleet sales. A headlight teaser photo is on the next page.
Chevrolet will unveil what it is calling the all-new Silverado 1500 full-size pickup on 13 December at a special event in the Detroit area. In a release, Chevy claimed, “bold exterior design of the new Silverado reflects the enhanced capabilities of the truck while features such as jewel-like, projector beam headlamps showcase the careful attention given to every detail.” Presumably, this also means a “bold new grille.”
The new Silverado will be on public display for the first time at the 2013 North American International Auto Show in January in downtown Detroit, and will start production next year in a complicated phase-in and phase-out of the Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups at multiple production plants.
GM is in the process of validating revised 2014 model Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks.
General Motors reported disappointing September U.S. vehicle sales of 210,245 vehicles, an increase of 1.5% compared to September 2011 in an auto industry that grew by 14.5% overall. Truck sales at GM were down 20% because of a -46% year-over-year reduction in fleet sales. GM said it was all due to the timing of customer deliveries. GM started the 2013 truck model year 45 days earlier than usual and – combined with summer vacation downtime – this forced fleet customers who wanted 2012 trucks to order early.
September was, by this theory, payback for pulling ahead some sales earlier in the year. In any event, things will become clearer, maybe, next month. In the large pickup segment, GM’s total sales were down 12% (Chevy Silverado 36,425 -17%, and GMC Sierra 14,000 -2%) and fleet sales were down 56%. However, GM reduced its large pickup inventories by approximately 8,600 units compared with August, and earned average transaction prices more than $2,300 per unit above a year ago with the lowest incentive spending in the industry, according to independent J.D. Power PIN data.
