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Sierra Scores Best Month of Year in September

Professional Grade trucks help GMC achieve two consecutive years of sales gains

2011-10-04

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DETROIT – When avid outdoorsman Steve Bailey of Altadena, Calif., went fishing for a new pickup truck, he reeled in a keeper – the GMC Sierra 2500HD Denali, a top-trim-level model that helped GMC net two consecutive years of sales gains in September.

Bailey traded in a Range Rover for the HD Denali for a variety of reasons, including the high-end heavy duty’s luxury amenities, rugged styling, cargo capacity and ability to tow a boat or a trailer up steep roads to mountain lakes.

“The Sierra Denali HD is a lot nicer than other pickup trucks I considered and every bit as beautiful as the Rover,” said Bailey, who purchased the vehicle at Thorson Motor Center in Pasadena. “I always do a lot of research before test driving vehicles, and this was my first dealership experience when the sales person knew more about the vehicle than I did. I was truly impressed.”

Sierra, including HD models, delivered its best month of 2011, with retail sales up 17 percent and total sales up 19 percent year to date. Sierra’s retail sales also are up 25 percent and total sales are up 26 percent year over year.

“Sierra is showing steady growth month after month as demand for capable trucks continues to rise,” said Brian Sweeney, U.S. vice president of Buick and GMC Sales and Service. “And the Denali versions of our trucks, SUVs and crossovers are attracting new customers to our dealerships.”

Demand for Denali versions of Sierra/HD trucks, Yukon/XL SUVs and Acadia crossover is up 116 percent year to date and up 91 percent year over year. Denali sales also account for 16 percent of GMC sales year to date – a 76 percent improvement over the same period last year.

Yukon/XL delivered strong results in September, with combined retail sales up 10 percent and total sales up 21 percent year to date. Yukon/XL’s retail sales are up 20 percent and total sales are up 53 percent year over year.

Customer demand for Acadia also grew in September, with retail sales up 22 percent and total sales up 25 percent year to date. The midsize crossover’s retail sales also climbed 27 percent year over year, with total sales up 15 percent.

Terrain continued its rapid sales growth in September, with retail sales up 53 percent and total sales up 59 percent year to date. The smaller SUV’s retail sales also rose 27 percent year over year, with total sales up 45 percent.

Through September, GMC retail sales are up 23 percent, with total sales up 27 percent year to date. The brand’s retail sales in September also were up 22 percent, with total sales up 28 percent for the month. GMC’s top performing markets during September included Boston, New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Boston and New York are among nine cities on GMC’s second annual NFL Monday Night Football Tour, which runs through Dec. 11. The tour stops offer NFL fans the chance to win Monday Night Football game tickets, meet current and former NFL players, and take the vehicles for test drives.

“The GMC Monday Night Football Tour is an exciting way for the brand to engage with consumers,” said Craig Bierley, GMC Advertising and Sales Promotion director. “We averaged 1,200 test drives at our first two tour stops in Dallas and Tampa, and many more NFL fans will have the opportunity to experience our Professional Grade vehicles at tour stops yet to come.”

About GMC

GMC has manufactured trucks since 1902, and is one of the industry's healthiest brands. Innovation and engineering excellence is built into all GMC vehicles and the brand is evolving to offer more fuel-efficient trucks and crossovers, including the Terrain smaller SUV and Acadia crossover.  GMC is the only manufacturer to offer three full-size hybrid trucks with the Yukon, Yukon Denali SUVs and the Sierra pickup. The new Sierra Heavy Duty pickups are the most capable and powerful trucks in the market.  Details on all GMC models are available at www.gmc.com, on Twitter at @thisisgmc or at http://www.facebook.com/gmc.

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