General Motors Co. in Detroit led the way among the Detroit Three automakers in the third quarter with 446,997 units sold. The FCA division of Auburn Hills’ Stellantis posted 410,917 in sales, while Ford Motor Co. in Dearborn sold 400,843 vehicles.
Numbers for all three were down compared to year-ago results due to semiconductor supply chain disruptions and historically low inventories.
“GM has been agile and decisive in managing COVID-19-related impacts on our production and wholesale volumes and we appreciate the support of our dealers and the loyalty of our customers,” says Steve Carlisle, executive vice president and president, GM North America.
“The semiconductor supply disruptions that impacted our third-quarter wholesale and customer deliveries are improving. As we look to the fourth quarter, a steady flow of vehicles held at plants will continue to be released to dealers, we are restarting production at key crossover and car plants, and we look forward to a more stable operating environment through the fall.”
GM’s retail share of the full-size pickup segment grew more than 2 percentage points, with the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra reaching a combined 38 percent share. Fleet sales of full-size pickup trucks were up 13 percent.
Sales of the Suburban (up 28 percent), Tahoe (up 5 percent), and Yukon (up 24 percent) rose year over year. Sales of full-size SUVs to fleet customers were up 89 percent, with Chevrolet Tahoe PPV sales up 86 percent.
The Cadillac Escalade increased deliveries by 123 percent and it remains the best-selling large luxury SUV by a double-digit margin. The Chevrolet Trailblazer grew sales by 147 percent.
FCA’s 410,917 vehicle sales compare to 507,351 for the same period in 2020. Retail sales were 348,084 vehicles for the quarter. Fleet accounted for 15 percent of total sales.
“While the various supply chain issues facing our industry continue to impact available inventory, we know the demand for our vehicles is still there,” says Jeff Kommor, head of U.S. sales at Stellantis. “Calendar year-to-date, total sales improved 3 percent versus this time last year.”
Ram pickup led the way for FCA with 121,704 third-quarter sales. The Jeep brand combined for 196,687 unit sales with Grand Cherokee pacing the field with 81,704 units.
Although Ford checked in with 400,843 vehicle sales during the third quarter of 2021, the automaker’s September results improved with retail sales up 34.3 percent compared to August, 52,000 new vehicle orders placed, and a 52.6 percent increase in sales for the Lincoln brand thanks to the Nautilus SUV.
Ford checked in with 156,614 new unit sales last month. Trucks accounted for 83,554, SUVs made up 70,260, and cars were 2,800 of the total number.
“New products and improved inventories made Ford America’s best-selling automaker in September,” says Andrew Frick, vice president, Ford Sales U.S. and Canada. “… we expanded our retail share 3.8 percentage points. Inventory turn rates are at the highest we’ve ever seen, with 31 percent of our retail sales coming from filling customer orders.
“The highly anticipated Maverick had a successful launch at month’s end, while the new Bronco is flowing to dealers with in-transit vehicles up 200 percent compared to a month ago.”
