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Hummer Sales Up as General Motors Withers

By Joe Benton
ConsumerAffairs.com

June 1, 2006

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May was almost a horrible sales month at General Motors but not quite -- thanks to the Hummer. It seems that a hardy band of 4,737 people ignored or thumbed their noses at rising gasoline prices and bought a Hummer.

Hummer sales jumped 59.8 percent in May. General Motors sales were down across the board 12.7 percent.

GM sold 345,157 cars and trucks in May this year. In 2005 GM sold 393,197 cars and trucks.

Car sales and the world's soon-to-be number two automaker totaled 129,905, down 16 percent from 154,726 a year ago, while truck sales dropped 9.7 percent to 215,252 from 238,471.

GM's Buick brand took it in the teeth posting one of the largest drops ever with sales falling 22.1 percent to 19,533 vehicles.

Consumers are turning their back on Saab as well. Saab sales dropped 21 percent to 3,030.

Light truck sales at GMC, which were a bright spot for the company last month, dropped 15.6 percent to 42,809.

Chevrolet sales are off 11.3 percent to 209,108 vehicles. Cadillac sales dropped 15.2 percent to 18,510. Saturn sales fell 11.1 percent to 15,347 and Pontiac sales slid 10.2 percent to 30,728.

GM executives blamed the big sales decline on cutbacks in incentives and rising gas prices.

The GM explanation works for everything except for the Hummer.

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