GM sales fall as automaker favors retail
General Motors sales fell 1.6% in June from a year earlier as the automaker continues to de-emphasize fleet sales to rental agencies in favor of retail sales to consumers.
For the first half of the year GM sales are down 4.4%, but retail sales, those directly to consumers through dealerships, are up 1%.
In June, the company's Cadillac luxury lineup posted its strongest sales increase with growth of 5.5% on the strength of its two new models — the CT6 luxury sedan and the XT5 crossover and the Escalade large SUV.
Chevrolet sales ticked up 0.1%, while GMC fell 8.6% and Buick declined 5.5%.
Analysts at Kelley Blue Book and TrueCar had projected GM sales increases of 1% and 0.7%, respectively, while Edmunds.com projected a decline of 1.3%.
Overall industry sales growth projections for June ranged from a low of 4.9% at LMC Automotive and J.D. Power to a high of 5.4% at TrueCar.
Discounts are helping fuel the industry's growth. Average incentives per industry vehicle hit an all-time high for June at $3,278, up 3.8% from a year ago, according to LMC and J.D. Power.
GM's incentives rose 2.1% for the month to $3,991, according to TrueCar.
Follow Paste BN reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.