- The GMC Acadia was General Motors’ fastest-growing seller, improving by 41.3 percent over June 2018.
- The Chevrolet Equinox crossover was the overall best-selling car in June, moving 85,657 units.
- GM’s total sales dropped by 1.5 percent in Q2 2019, as the company sold 746,659 vehicles.
- This quarter comprised 77 selling days, as did the first quarter of 2019.
Most GM brands improved, with the exception of Chevrolet.
As the June 2019 sales figures roll out, we take a closer look at General Motors. The company switched to quarterly reporting, so this is the first opportunity we’ve had to see sales figures since April. Within GM, similar sales trends continue that we’ve seen in previous years. Sedans and niche models continue to drop off, while crossovers dominate the landscape.
The best-selling car GM has this past quarter was the Chevrolet Equinox, which sold 85,657 cars in the past three months. That averages out to 28,553 cars per month, putting it behind the likes of the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Nissan Rogue.
Other crossovers across GM’s lineup also fared well. The GMC Acadia’s quarterly sales picked up 41.3 percent from June 2018, to 28,420 units (up from 20,108).
Since GM reports its sales quarterly, we’ll stick with those numbers in the getting down to the individual brands. When we post the best and worst sellers of the month though, we will look at average monthly sales against the other automakers.
See the quarterly sales breakdown by brand below.
Buick: 55,373 cars (+4.7%) in Q2 2019
In the past few years, Buick has shifted the bulk of its focus from old-fashioned sedans like the LaCrosse over to crossovers instead. The Encore is the brand’s entry-level crossover, and by a wide margin it’s the brand’s best-seller. Buick shifted 24,291 Encores in a three-month period, up 4.9 percent from the same time a year ago. The Enclave sold 15,159 examples (up 20.8 percent), while the Envision is also up 28.4 percent (9,138 sales).
For Buick’s other models, though, the tale isn’t quite so rosy. The Cascada fell slightly by 4.5 percent, down to 1,312 sold in Q2 from 1,374. The LaCrosse fell 38.6 percent down to 2,487 units (from 4,053 last year). Finally, the Regal fell to 2,985 this past quarter, down from 4,507 during the same period in 2018. Buick is culling the Cascada and LaCrosse from its lineup, and after some more of these results, the Regal may not stick around much longer either.
Buick sales: Quarter-over-Quarter (QoQ)
| Model | Q2 2019 | Q2 2018 | QoQ |
| Cascada | 1,312 | 1,374 | -4.5% |
| Enclave | 15,159 | 12,551 | +20.8% |
| Encore | 24,291 | 23,167 | +4.9% |
| Envision | 9,138 | 7,118 | +28.4% |
| LaCrosse | 2,487 | 4,053 | -38.6% |
| Regal | 2,985 | 4,507 | -33.8% |
Buick sales: Year-over-Year (YoY)
| Model | 2019 YTD | 2018 YTD | YoY |
| Cascada | 2,058 | 2,292 | -10.2% |
| Enclave | 27,739 | 22,420 | +23.7% |
| Envision | 16,761 | 16,814 | -0.3% |
| LaCrosse | 5,389 | 11,119 | -51.5% |
| Regal | 6,393 | 8,215 | -22.2% |
| BRAND | 107,240 | 109,695 | -2.2% |
Cadillac: 39,739 cars (+1.3%) in Q2 2019
Cadillac has two new crossovers in play this year: the compact XT4 and the XT6, which will soon be available at dealers. Its sedans, on the other hand, are dropping off as the ATS and CTS hit the end of their life span. Sales of the ATS are down 90.2 percent, as the ATS is only available as a coupe for 2019. Sales of the CTS dropped by a slight 7.5 percent in June, down to 2,443 sales from 2,640 this time last year.
Strangely, the Cadillac XTS, which will meet its maker in October, actually picked up from June 2018. Sales of the sedan were up 46.2 percent in June 2019, up to 5,359 from just 3,665 sold last June. These are popular livery cars, which could explain the recent uptick in sales. It’s not the best-known Cadillac out there, but you can get it with a 410 horsepower twin-turbo V6 in the V-Sport trim. If you don’t need a new car, you can also get a used XTS for an absolute steal on the used market.
Cadillac sales: Quarter-over-Quarter (QoQ)
| Model | Q2 2019 | Q2 2018 | QoQ |
| ATS | 371 | 3,785 | -90.2% |
| CT6 | 1,862 | 2,427 | -23.3% |
| CTS | 2,443 | 2,640 | -7.5% |
| Escalade | 9,432 | 9,655 | -2.3% |
| XT4 | 7,080 | New | N/A |
| XT5 | 13,118 | 17,045 | -23.0% |
| XTS | 5,359 | 3,665 | +46.2 |
Cadillac sales: Year-over-Year (YoY)
| Model | 2019 YTD | 2018 YTD | YoY |
| ATS | 893 | 7,747 | -88.5% |
| CT6 | 4,050 | 4,894 | -17.2% |
| CTS | 4,871 | 5,082 | -4.2% |
| Escalade | 16,251 | 17,766 | -8.5% |
| XT4 | 14,106 | New | N/A |
| XT5 | 26,396 | 31,890 | -17.2% |
| XTS | 9,093 | 8,563 | +6.2% |
Chevrolet: 499,847 vehicles (-5.3%) in Q2 2019*
Chevrolet managed to move nearly half a million vehicles in the second quarter of 2019, including trucks. Its single best-selling car, as ever, is the Equinox, which moved 85,657 units in Q2. That’s up a substantial 15.8 percent from the same time in 2018. The tiny Spark hatchback also did well, picking up 62.2 percent during the second quarter as the same time in 2018. In the second three months of 2019, Chevrolet moved 7,226 Sparks, up from 4,454.
We’re in an SUV-crazy time, so it’s only natural that Chevrolet’s SUVs fared well on the sales charts. The Tahoe sold 32,942 units, up 22.6 percent from the second three months of 2018. During the same time, Chevrolet moved 18,266 full-size Suburbans, up 20.7 percent from Q2 2018. The Bolt EV also fared well, up 13.8 percent with 3,965 sales.
The two cars that suffered most in Chevy’s lineup are two cars that have already met the ax: the Cruze and the Volt. The Volt is down 73.6 percent (1,146 units), while the Cruze sold just 16,166 in the second quarter of 2019. That’s down 57.3 percent from the same period in 2018.
Midsize and full-size Chevrolet truck sales are available over on TFLtruck.com
Chevrolet sales: Quarter-over-Quarter (QoQ)
| Model | Q2 2019 | Q2 2018 | QoQ |
| Blazer | 11,772 | New | N/A |
| Bolt EV | 3,965 | 3,483 | +13.8% |
| Camaro | 12,433 | 13,588 | -8.5% |
| Corvette | 5,788 | 5,785 | +0.1% |
| Cruze | 16,166 | 37,836 | -57.3% |
| Equinox | 85,657 | 73,967 | +15.8% |
| Impala | 12,536 | 13,595 | -7.8% |
| Malibu | 30,974 | 42,267 | -26.7% |
| Sonic | 4,024 | 4,582 | -12.2% |
| Spark | 7,226 | 4,454 | +62.2% |
| Suburban | 18,266 | 15,136 | +20.7% |
| Tahoe | 32,942 | 26,880 | +22.6% |
| Traverse | 38,152 | 35,892 | +6.3% |
| Trax | 21,790 | 26,507 | -17.8% |
| Volt | 1,146 | 4,336 | -73.6% |
Chevrolet sales: Year-over-Year (YoY)
| Model | YTD 2019 | YTD 2018 | YoY |
| Blazer | 14,795 | New | N/A |
| Bolt EV | 8,281 | 7,858 | +5.4% |
| Camaro | 24,516 | 25,380 | -3.4% |
| Corvette | 9,731 | 10,242 | -5.0% |
| Cruze | 39,477 | 77,691 | -49.2% |
| Equinox | 174,157 | 156,365 | +11.4% |
| Impala | 25,795 | 27,662 | -6.7% |
| Malibu | 65,171 | 76,417 | -14.7% |
| Sonic | 8,484 | 10,565 | -19.7% |
| Spark | 13,649 | 11,399 | +19.7 |
| Suburban | 29,295 | 29,861 | -1.9% |
| Tahoe | 53,795 | 50,523 | +6.5% |
| Traverse | 72,375 | 74,090 | -2.3% |
| Trax | 46,370 | 46,989 | -1.3% |
| Volt | 3,666 | 7,814 | -53.1% |
| BRAND | 952,248* | 1,019,019* | -6.6% |
*Figure includes light van (Express) sales, commercial vehicles (LCF, Silverado Medium Duty), light trucks (Colorado, Silverado 1500) and heavy duty trucks (Silverado HD).
GMC: 151,700 vehicle sales (+9.8%) in Q2 2019
Buick isn’t GM’s only brand that leans toward SUVs. In fact, GMC has no passenger car in sight, instead existing as a wholly SUV and truck brand. Among those, the Terrain was GMC’s best-selling model, with the Acadia bringing up a remarkably close second. The Terrain sold 24,988 in Q2 2019, up 11.9 percent from the same period in 2018, when GMC sold 22,327 examples.
The Acadia, on the other hand, wound up growing by a whopping 41.3 percent last quarter. The 28,420 Acadias GMC shifted is a stark improvement over the 20,108 moved in Q2 2018, making it one of GM’s fastest-growing models when it come to sales. The Yukon also grew, selling 20,023 models in Q2 2019. That’s up 2.6 percent from the same period in 2018.
Midsize and full-size GMC truck sales are available over on TFLtruck.com.
GMC sales: Quarter-over-Quarter (QoQ)
| Model | Q2 2019 | Q2 2018 | QoQ |
| Acadia | 28,420 | 20,108 | +41.3% |
| Terrain | 24,988 | 22,327 | +11.9% |
| Yukon | 20,023 | 19,520 | +2.6% |
GMC sales: Year-over-Year (YoY)
| Model | 2019 YTD | 2018 YTD | YoY |
| Acadia | 59,620 | 50,008 | +19.2% |
| Terrain | 50,352 | 55,291 | -8.9% |
| Yukon | 34,970 | 34,522 | +1.3% |
| BRAND | 277,277* | 269,507* | +2.9% |
*Figure includes light van (Savana) sales, as well as light trucks (Canyon, Sierra 1500) and heavy duty trucks (Sierra HD).
