Photo: Buick
Powered by a surge in small SUV sales and the ongoing popularity of pickup trucks, General Motors posted a slight U.S. sales increase for the fourth quarter of 2023 — and a much larger increase for the year as a whole.
GM’s overall sales were up 0.3% for the quarter with 625,176 deliveries. For the year, the automaker moved a total of 2,594,698 units, which comes out to a 14.1% increase. All of GM’s major brands — Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac — posted gains for the year as well.
For 2023, GM led all other automakers in U.S. full-size pickup sales (about 841,000) and full-size SUV sales (about 245,000). Another point of strength was a segment that GM calls “affordable small SUVs.” GM came in first here, too, thanks to about 343,000 sales of models like the redesigned Chevrolet Trax, the all-new Buick Envista, and the Chevy Trailblazer.
Here’s a closer look at each major GM brand’s key 2023 sales highlights:
Photo: Chevrolet
Chevrolet annual sales
Chevrolet was down 0.3% for the fourth quarter but up 13.1% for the year. The Trax led the way with an enormous 311.3% increase in annual sales. Other big performers for the year included the Trailblazer (up 82.3%), the Bolt EV/EUV (up 62.8%), and the Traverse (up 27.4%). The Silverado lineup posted a gain of 6.1% and was Chevy’s bestselling nameplate of 2023 with more than 555,000 units moved.
Photo: Buick
Buick annual sales
Buick was a major success story for GM in 2023. The brand’s sales were up 56.6% for the fourth quarter and 61.4% for the year. The brand’s subcompact and compact SUVs were hugely popular, led by the Encore GX, which was up 92.4% compared to 2022 and led the way with 64,149 total sales. Meanwhile, Envision sales increased by 71.2%. In its first partial year on the market, the new Envista small SUV set a brisk sales pace as well — which bodes well for Buick’s 2024.
Photo: GMC
GMC annual sales
GMC sales declined 6.5% in the fourth quarter, but the brand still achieved an 8.9% increase for the year. As expected, the Sierra truck lineup led the way with a 22.4% annual increase and total sales of more than 295,000. The Acadia SUV posted solid results as well, gaining 25.1% for the year.
Photo: Cadillac
Cadillac annual sales
Cadillac sales were down 7% for the fourth quarter and up 9.3% for the year. A big chunk of the luxury brand’s yearly increase came from the new Lyriq EV, which sold 9,154 units in its first year of wider availability. Other successful Cadillac models for 2023 included the CT5 sedan (up 17%) and the XT4 SUV (up 4.3%). Cadillac’s bestseller remains the Escalade, which moved nearly 42,000 units and was up 3.6% for the year.
Check out The News Wheel’s Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac coverage to keep up with each brand’s moves in 2024.
A longtime editor/writer and recently transplanted Hoosier, Caleb Cook lives in Xenia, Ohio. His favorite activities are reading and listening to music, although he occasionally emerges from the heap of books and vinyl records in his basement to stand blinking in the sunlight. Once fully acclimated to the outside world again, he can be observed hanging out with his wife, attempting a new recipe in the kitchen, attending movies, walking the dog, or wandering into a local brewery to inquire about what’s on tap. See more articles by Caleb.