Saab and Chevrolet Set New Sales and Market Share Records in Europe






- Saab European sales grow by 24.3 percent in first six months
- Chevrolet shows strong growth in Southern and Eastern Europe
- Opel / Vauxhall implement improvements in quality of sales
- GM Europe share stable at 2005 CY level
- GM first-half sales exceed 50,000 units in Russia


General Motors (GM) sold 1,070,508 vehicles in Europe in the first half of 2006, a slight increase of 2,058 vehicles over the same period last year (1,068,449 vehicles). GM's share of the growing European market was again 9.4 percent, consistent with 2005's full-year share. In June 2006, GM Europe sold 195,268 vehicles (2005: 205,834 vehicles), achieving a market share of 9.6 percent in a declining European market. In Russia, GM sold 52,699 vehicles in the first half of the year, increasing its sales by 17,016 vehicles or 48 percent year-on-year to outstrip one of the world's fastest growing markets (up 20 percent). 

"It is very encouraging to see the growing success of Saab and Chevrolet sales around Europe. Setting new volume and market share records for both brands in the first half of this year was a real bonus. Chevrolet, one of the top three global automotive brands, is now making its mark in Europe and I expect to see this continue. For Opel and Vauxhall, GM's biggest volume brands in Europe, our financial turnaround is built on being increasingly selective about which sales we pursue and driving higher per unit revenues. We are pleased with how this plan is playing out," said Jonathan Browning, GM Europe Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Aftersales.



Cadillac, Corvette and HUMMER perform well

General Motors' luxury brands, Cadillac, Corvette and HUMMER, performed well in their respective niche markets in the first half of the year. Corvette sold 733 cars in the first six months and Cadillac's European sales grew by 30 percent, from 1,301 to 1,690 vehicles at the end of June. HUMMER sales of the H2 and H3 increased to 801 vehicles, from 223 vehicles in 2005.



Saab achieves record sales levels in Europe

Saab's global sales set a new record for the first half of the year, with 70,846 cars sold, up 11 percent from the previous year. The largest growth was in Europe where 50,695 cars found new customers, an increase of 9,924 cars or 24.3 percent vs. 2005. The U.S. remained the number one market globally for Saab, at 17,274 cars. The U.K. was number two, with 14,873 units sold, and Sweden closed the month and the year to date as Saab's third biggest market, with 13,382 registrations and a market share of 8 percent. The Saab 9-5 BioPower was again the number one 'green vehicle' in the Swedish market. Outstanding growth in the first half of 2006, compared to the year-earlier period, was achieved in a number of markets across Europe: Denmark (+ 43 percent), Sweden (+ 54 percent) and Finland (+ 43 percent), the Netherlands (+ 55 percent) and Switzerland (+ 44 percent). In June, Saab sold 9,875 cars in Europe, up 1,895 cars or 23.7 percent from June 2005.



Opel / Vauxhall growing in Northern Europe, Benelux, Central and Eastern Europe

GM's biggest volume brands in Europe, Opel and Vauxhall, achieved total sales of 855,857 vehicles in the first half of the year, compared with 880,805 a year earlier, for a share of 7.5 percent. The biggest sales gains were realized in the Nordic and Benelux regions (+ 5,900 vehicles), in Ireland (+ 2,100 vehicles) as well as in Central and Eastern Europe (+ 6,900 vehicles).

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