2020 (Full Year) USA: GM Sales (Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, GMC)

In 2020, GM gained market share in the USA despite weaker sales for Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC trucks and cars.

2021 Chevrolet Silverado Realtree Edition © Chevrolet
In 2020, GM gained market share in the USA despite weaker sales for Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC trucks and cars.
2021 Chevrolet Silverado Realtree Edition © Chevrolet

General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) sales for the full calendar year 2020 were 2,547,339 vehicles with total deliveries down 12 percent from 2019 and retail deliveries down 6 percent. Sales were lower for all four GM brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC. However, GM estimates it gained market share across the board in total, retail and fleet deliveries for both the fourth quarter and calendar year 2020.

GM Sales in the USA in 2020 (Full Year)

General Motors sale in the full calendar year 2020 for all brands were reported as:

20202019% Change
GM Vehicle Total2,547,3392,887,046-11.8

GM Sales in the USA in 2020 by Brand and Model

General Motors reported the following deliveries per brand and model for the calendar year 2020:

Buick USA Sales in 2020 (Full Year)

Buick performed the worst of the General Motors brands in the USA with sales down 21% in 2020. The Encore was the best-selling Buick model in the US in 2020.

Brand & Model20202019% Change
Cascada122,535-99.5
Enclave38,48051,156-24.8
Encore41,752102,402-59.2
Encore GX44,8410***.*
Envision34,94233,2295.2
LaCrosse2307,241-96.8
Regal2,48410,363-76.0
Verano03***.*
Buick Total162,741206,929-21.4

Cadillac USA Sales in 2020 (Full Year)

Cadillac sales in the US in 2020 were 17% lower than a year ago. The XT5 was again the most popular Cadillac model in the USA.

Brand & Model20202019% Change
ATS1161,134-89.8
CT44,8890***.*
CT514,71143***.*
CT63,1177,951-60.8
CTS6116,965-91.2
ELR00***.*
Escalade24,54735,424-30.7
SRX00***.*
XT422,47331,987-29.7
XT535,22349,879-29.4
XT622,60911,55995.6
XTS1,19911,304-89.4
Cadillac Total129,495156,246-17.1

Chevrolet USA Sales in 2020 (Full Year)

Chevrolet, GM’s volume brand, had sales 11% weaker in the USA in 2020 but gained market share. Sales of the popular Silverado increased by 3.2% to 594,000 vehicles.

Brand & Model20202019% Change
Blazer94,59958,11562.8
Bolt EV20,75416,41826.4
Camaro29,77548,265-38.3
Colorado96,238122,304-21.3
Corvette21,62617,98820.2
Cruze78447,975-98.4
Equinox270,994346,048-21.7
Express55,13177,457-28.8
Impala9,94244,978-77.9
LCF4,6374,4953.2
Malibu102,651131,917-22.2
Silverado HD150,394131,95314.0
Silverado LD436,281438,686-0.5
Silverado MD7,4194,96149.5
TOTAL Silverado594,094575,6003.2
Sonic13,00713,971-6.9
Spark33,47831,2817.0
Suburban37,63651,928-27.5
SS02***.*
Tahoe88,238101,189-12.8
Trailblazer34,2920***.*
Traverse125,546147,122-14.7
Trax106,299116,816-9.0
Volt714,910-98.6
Chevrolet Total1,739,7921,958,925-11.2

GMC USA Sales in 2020 (Full Year)

GMC performed the best of the General Motors brands with sales in the US down by only 8.8%. Sales of the popular Sierra increased by 9%.

Brand & Model20202019% Change
Acadia72,53799,429-27.0
Canyon25,19032,825-23.3
Savana15,10824,226-37.6
Sierra HD73,77759,87123.2
Sierra LD179,239172,4523.9
TOTAL Sierra253,016232,3238.9
Terrain86,020101,470-15.2
Yukon63,44074,673-15.0
GMC Total515,311564,946-8.8

GM USA Sales Highlights in 2020

General Motors ended the year strong by selling 771,323 vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2020. Total sales for the quarter were up 5 percent year over year. GM had its best fourth-quarter retail sales since 2007, with deliveries up 12 percent.

Retail sales for the industry began to recover in May and reached pre-pandemic levels during the fourth quarter. Sales to fleets are recovering but remain sharply lower, especially daily rental deliveries. Average transaction prices set fourth-quarter and full-year records at $41,886 and $39,229, respectively.

  • For the second consecutive year, the GMC Sierra had its best fourth-quarter and full-year retail and total sales ever, with total deliveries up 14 percent in the quarter and 9 percent for the year
  • Fourth-quarter GMC retail deliveries were up 14 percent, with five models up by double digits, including the Yukon and Yukon XL (up 41 percent), Canyon (up 42 percent), Sierra (up 14 percent), and Acadia (up 26 percent)
  • Fourth-quarter retail deliveries for Chevrolet were up 12 percent, driven by the success of the all-new Trailblazer and sharply higher sales for almost every other model, including the Corvette (up 158 percent), Bolt EV (up 106 percent), Tahoe (up 78 percent), Suburban (up 56 percent), Traverse (up 31 percent), Colorado (up 21 percent), Silverado (up 15 percent) and Malibu (up 11 percent)
  • Chevrolet Silverado crew cabs had their best quarter and calendar-year retail and total sales ever, and the Chevrolet Traverse had its best-ever fourth-quarter total and retail sales
  • Cadillac outperformed the retail luxury industry with its best fourth-quarter retail share and sales since 2016. Retail deliveries were up 16 percent in the quarter, driven by the successful launches of the new CT4, CT5, and Escalade, which was up 19 percent. The Cadillac XT5 was up 10 percent
  • Fourth-quarter retail deliveries of the Buick Enclave were up 21 percent and the all-new Buick Encore GX is now the brand’s best-selling nameplate
  • GM grew share of all three fleet segments. The total fleet share increased nearly 2 points in the fourth quarter and for the calendar year
  • Sales to small businesses were up 27 percent in the fourth quarter and up 5 percent for the full year

GM ended 2020 with an inventory of 410,875 units, including in-transit units, down 205,148 units year over year. Fourth-quarter incentive spending as a percent of ATP was 10.7 percent, close to the industry average, according to J.D. Power PIN estimates.

“GM outperformed the industry in the quarter and the full year by a significant margin because our manufacturing and supply chain teams and dealers helped keep people safe at work and our launches on track,” said Steve Carlisle, GM executive vice president and president, GM North America. “Extraordinary teamwork has set up everyone to succeed in 2021 as the economy continues to recover and we further ramp up truck and SUV production.”

General Motors Outlook for 2021

In 2021, GM expects to have a full year of production of the all-new Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban. GM has also announced plans to build full-size pickups in Oshawa, Ontario starting in early 2022.  

GM is especially bullish about its new full-size SUVs, which began launching at the company’s Arlington Assembly plant in Texas in April.

“Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac set the bar high for these products in terms of technology, refinement and utility, and sales are exceeding our expectations,” Carlisle said. “We launched them on time despite the pandemic, and the team in Arlington is working around the clock to meet demand. We have quickly recaptured all the short-term gains our competitors made as we transitioned to the all-new models.”

GM expects the broader U.S. economic recovery to continue in 2021.

“We look forward to an inflection point for the U.S. economy in spring,” said GM Chief Economist Elaine Buckberg. “Widening vaccination rates and warmer weather should enable consumers and businesses to return to a more normal range of activities, lifting the job market, consumer sentiment, and auto demand.”

Car Sales by Brand in the USA in 2020 (Full Year)

Car Sales by Brand in the USA in 2020 (Full Year):

About General Motors (GM)

General Motors (NYSE:GM) is a global company committed to delivering safer, better, and more sustainable ways for people to get around. General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Baojun, and Wuling brands.

About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance writer with over 20 years of experience in online writing. His best-selling cars website has been reporting car sales statistics since 2008 with classic car auction prices focusing on the most expensive automobiles sold at public auctions in the past decade. He also owns the travel websites European-Traveler.com and Lake Geneva Switzerland. Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Finance from the University of London.