DETROIT -- General Motors' U.S. light-vehicle sales fell 7.1 percent from January through March, but it sold more full-size pickups than in any first quarter since 2007.
GM delivered 618,335 vehicles, down from 665,840 in the first quarter of 2019, the company said in a statement Wednesday.
But sales surged 27 percent for the Chevrolet Silverado and 31 percent for the GMC Sierra. The two nameplates' combined sales of 198,610 units accounted for 32 percent of the automaker's total sales for the quarter, compared to 23 percent a year earlier.
All of GM's four brands posted lower sales, including drops of 35 percent for Buick and 16 percent for Cadillac.
Chevrolet sales saw the most modest decline of 3.8 percent. Sales of the Chevy Blazer crossover, which hit dealerships during the first quarter of 2019, soared more than sixfold. Deliveries of the Bolt EV, Malibu, Spark and Trax also increased.
GMC sales fell 5.5 percent, with all nameplates lower except the Sierra.
In many states, stay-at-home orders have limited dealers' sales operations, but customers shopping for a vehicle can still use GM's digital tools, such as Shop-Click-Drive, which allows them to take delivery at home from a participating local dealer, said Kurt McNeil, GM's U.S. vice president of sales operations.
Brands: Buick, down 35%; Cadillac, down 16%; Chevrolet, down 3.8%; GMC, down 5.5%.
Notable nameplates: Cadillac Escalade, down 18%; XT4, down 27%; XT5, down 32%; Chevrolet Blazer, up 633%; Bolt EV, up 36%; Colorado, down 36%; Corvette, down 3.1%; Equinox, down 17%; Silverado, up 27%; Suburban, down 14%; Trax, up 15%; Buick Enclave, down 30%; Encore, down 42%; GMC Sierra, up 31%; Acadia, down 43%.
Incentives: $4,857 per vehicle, down 0.5% from a year earlier, ALG says.
Average transaction price: $37,842, up 2% from a year earlier, according to ALG.
Inventory: 668,443 vehicles, down about 18% from a year earlier.
Quote: "In this uncertain and challenging time, GM and our strong network of dealers are here to help, offering concierge service, providing courtesy transportation to customers in need and offering home delivery where permissible," McNeil said in a statement.
Did you know? In March, GM became the first automaker to offer 0 percent, 84-month loans and deferred payments of up to 120 days to customers in top credit tiers. The offer is part of a sweeping program to help offset the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The automaker's share of interest-free loans in March was 6.3 percent, according to Edmunds. That's up from 4.4 percent in February.
