GM's Global Sales, Cadillac Get Boost From China

By John D. Stoll 

General Motors Co. said Tuesday its struggling Cadillac brand showed some life in the first quarter, riding a big gain in China that buffered continued decline in the U.S.

The Detroit auto maker on Tuesday said its global sales grew 1.9% in the first quarter compared with the same period in 2014. Strength in the U.S. truck and SUV market and a 9.4% gain in China allowed GM to offset deep declines in Europe and South America.

Reviving the Cadillac luxury brand is a top priority of Chief Executive Mary Barra. The auto maker has spent heavily in recent years remaking the product line, but Cadillac's reputation and breadth of offerings fall well short of German rivals.

Recently committing $12 billion in new investment to the brand, the auto maker has installed new leadership at Cadillac and shaken up the organizational structure.

During the first three months of the year, GM sold nearly 61,000 Cadillacs. While 2.5% higher than the same period a year ago, it is a fraction of what German competitors sold over the period. Audi AG, for instance, sold 438,250 vehicles in the first quarter for a 6.1% gain; luxury leader BMW AG sold 451,576 vehicles during the period, up 5.4%.

Importantly for GM, a greater mix of Cadillac's sales are coming from China, which is a market that GM has long been among the biggest sellers due to demand for Buicks, Chevrolets and other lower-end brands. The luxury division sold 19,508 vehicles in the world's largest auto market in the first quarter, representing a 3% increase. Caddy sales in the U.S., which has been a growth market for the Germans, fell 6.1% to 37,175--less than half of what was sold individually by Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus, Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

Cadillac Chief Johan de Nysschen has set a goal of selling 500,000 Cadillacs by 2020, and about half of the volume is expected to come from China. Cadillac sold 263,782 vehicles in 2014, 73,500--or 27.9%--of which were delivered to Chinese buyers.

As of the first quarter, China now represents nearly one-third of Cadillac's global volume, and Ms. Barra says the brand's presence is poised to continue to grow. "Cadillac is growing rapidly in China and establishing a new formula for prestige sedans with the CT6," she said in a news release, referring to the brand's forthcoming large sedan introduced earlier this month at auto shows in New York and Shanghai.

China now far outpaces the U.S. as the world's largest light-vehicle market and, as the market matures and growth slows, GM is scrambling to enrich its sales mix. By selling more profitable luxury cars and bigger SUVs in China, the auto maker can soften the blow of having to compete in the fierce price war taking place at the lower end of the market.

GM said overall sales slumped 13.6% in Europe, due to significant declines in the Russian market and the decision to discontinue Chevrolet in Europe last year. Its Opel brand, which is the core division in a growing Western European market, grew 3% over the period.

Write to John D. Stoll at [e-mail]

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