Chevrolet Ends the 2017 Sales Year with a Slight 2.9% Sales Decline in December
Common trends for the Chevrolet lineup continued during the last sales month of the year
Chevrolet was close to matching its performance from 2016
Chevrolet’s new vehicle sales in December of 2016 were among the best in the automaker’s history. While Chevrolet’s sales performance during December of 2017 didn’t quite match those numbers, it did come rather close.
In fact, new vehicle sales were only down by 2.9% last month.
What’s Come Before: History of Chevrolet
By the end of December, Chevrolet had sold 206,804 new vehicles. This was only slightly behind the 212,959 vehicles it sold a year prior, at least relatively speaking.
Chevy’s retail sales were even closer to matching its results from December 2016. Retail sales totaled 160,938 units by the end of last month, a year-over-year decline of only 1.5%.
The Bolt almost managed to outsell the Camaro
As with previous months, the Chevrolet Bolt EV continued to be a rising star in the Chevrolet lineup,with 3,227 Chevrolet Bolts sold. This is nearly as many units as the Camaro sold last month, with sales for the sports car coming in at 3,802 units.
While this is extremely good news for the Chevy Bolt, it is bad news for the Camaro. Last month, Camaro sales were down by a massive 45.7%, much more severe than its annual sales decline of 6.6%.
Looking Ahead: GM in 2018
That appears to be the trend for many of Chevy’s sedans and passenger cars. Cruze sales were down by 22.6% last month, while Malibu sales were down by 27% during the same period.
Even then, Chevy’s compact cars took the brunt of the sales decline. Chevy only managed to sell 1,946 new Sonic vehicles last month, a sales decline of 69.5%.
Chevy’s SUVs continue to succeed as its sedans suffer
The news was far more optimistic for Chevrolet’s SUVs and Trucks. Chevrolet sold 32,784 Equinox models in December, resulting in a 20.6% sales increase, on course for its 19.9% sales increase year-over-year.
Meanwhile, the Chevrolet Silverado was able to widen the lead it had on its Ram competitor. Silverado sales totaled 67,676 units in December, a 24.7% sales increase.
By the end of 2017, Chevy had sold 585,864 Silverado trucks. Ram, meanwhile, only sold 500,723 of its models last year, a far cry from when the Silverado was at risk of being overtaken by the Ram 1500 earlier this year.
The Ram 1500 simply lacked the momentum necessary to overtake the Silverado
By the end of 2017, Chevrolet sold 2,065,883 vehicles. Compared to the 2,096,510 vehicles it sold in 2016, this is only a decline of 1.5%.
According to analysts, new vehicle sales for 2018 are currently projected to decline. Still, if Chevrolet continues to maintain its current trends, then the decline will likely be minimal, or perhaps even nonexistent.
To explore how Chevy did in December, as well as during 2017 as a whole, take a look at the chart below:
Chevrolet December 2017 Sales
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