Chevy sees more gains in U.S. retail share

NEW ORLEANS -- Chevrolet expects a third consecutive year of U.S. retail market share gains in 2017, executives told dealers here today.

The growth will be driven by two redesigned crossovers, the Equinox and Traverse, scheduled to go on sale in the coming months. General Motors will be working to build supplies of those vehicles as quickly as possible to take advantage of the fact that crossovers now account for more 60 percent of U.S. industry sales, dealers said they were told.

General Motors, citing J.D. Power PIN data, says Chevrolet's share of U.S. retail sales rose to 11.2 percent in 2016 from 10.7 percent in 2015, with overall retail volume growing by 120,000 vehicle from 2014 to 2016.

Executives also said GMC is positioned to gain retail share with the arrival of the Terrain, which is a sibling to the Equinox.

“They’re expecting a very nice increase this year for GM dealers,” said David Ferraez, president of Green Brook Buick-GMC in Green Brook, N.J. “The dealers are more encouraged about the future than I’ve ever seen before. The overall dealer attitude is so much more positive.”

The executives who spoke at the make meeting for Chevy, Buick and GMC were more ambiguous about whether GM might finally halt its overall market share decline this year. GM reduced less-profitable sales to rental-car fleets by about 75,000 units in 2016 and plans more cuts this year.

“We believe that we can buck the trend by continuing to grow retail share,” Alan Batey, GM’s president of North America, told Automotive News after the make meeting.

As for GM’s total share in 2017, Batey said: “We’ll see. We will continue to reduce our rent-a-car volume. You’ll see that again this year. We’ve got some really great launches in really big segments. Overall, we’ll see where we come out. But I’m not expecting you’re going to see a total share erosion this year.”

GM's U.S. sales fell 1.3 percent last year in a market that rose 0.3 percent to a record 17.54 million cars and light trucks. U.S. deliveries slipped 1.4 percent at Chevrolet, 2.2 percent at GMC and 3 percent at Cadillac, but rose 2.9 percent at Buick.

Among the few complaints aired by dealers was frustration with GM’s ongoing “tag sale” promotions, in which vehicles that have languished on dealer lots the longest are discounted by up to 20 percent. Many dealers dislike the approach because they say customers don’t understand why one or two almost identical-looking vehicles have a significant difference in price and end up going elsewhere if one dealer can’t offer a particular color or option package with the discount.

But the program isn’t changing, executives told the dealers.

“They said unequivocally they’re keeping it in place,” said one dealer who said his store’s sales have been hurt by the promotion and declined to give his name.

GM showed dealers a preview of Buick’s upcoming Super Bowl commercial, starring Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr, but not the full spot.