Chevrolet Cruze Leads Compact Car Sales for May

Second consecutive month as Top 10 U.S. best-seller

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Jun 02, 2011, 03:08 ET

DETROIT, June 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time in five years, an American car is the best selling compact car in the United States. The Chevrolet Cruze recorded 22,711 segment-topping sales in May, and achieved its second consecutive appearance on the Top 10 across all U.S. auto segments.

The Cruze also has helped Chevrolet gain share in the compact segment – which represented 16 percent of total U.S. sales in May – and accelerated the brand's shift to fuel-efficient four-cylinder engines.

In May, fuel-efficient models four-cylinder vehicles – including Cruze, Equinox and Malibu – accounted for 51 percent of Chevrolet retail sales. That is up from 36 percent in May a year ago, and doubles the rate of four-cylinder sales five years ago.

"The launch of the Cruze has exceeded all of our expectations," said Alan Batey, U.S. vice president, Chevrolet Sales and Service. "Cruze launched as a brand-new vehicle, with a brand-new name, in one of the most competitive segments in the industry.

"Today, Consumer consideration for the Cruze has increased to the point that it is on many of the same shopping lists as established compact cars, like Civic and Corolla," he said. "This is an incredible accomplishment, even considering the industry's disruptions caused by the tragedy in Japan."

Cruze trails only the Honda Civic in sales for the 2011 calendar year:


Total sales	May 2011	2011 Calendar Year
Cruze	22,711	98,076
Focus	22,303	76,639
Elantra	20,006	83,309
Civic	18,341	110,086
Corolla	16,895	83,957

The Cruze has increased Chevrolet's share of the compact car segment, even as the segment grew by 19 percent year to date. For 2011, Chevrolet accounted for 11.9 percent of the compact car market, up from 9.5 percent a year ago.

Much of the success of the Cruze can be attributed to its exterior styling and fuel efficiency, which were ranked as the top reasons for purchase in an internal survey of more than 500 Cruze buyers.

Karen Peters of Hemet, Calif., traded in her 2005 Toyota Corolla for a Cruze after seeing the Cruze in a television ad.

"I just fell in love with the Cruze the first time I saw it," she said. "There was nothing wrong with my Corolla, and I wasn't even looking for a new car. But something about the Cruze just stuck with me. I finally had to go for a test drive, just to get it out of my system. All it took was a short test drive, and I fell in love with the Cruze."

Like Peters, nearly 51 percent of Cruze buyers are new to Chevrolet, either trading in a non-GM vehicle or purchasing outright – suggesting they were either adding a vehicle to the household or that the Cruze was their first new car. For 2011, Cruze has brought more than 40,000 of these "conquest" buyers – second only to the Silverado full-size pickup for attracting new customers to the brand.

About Chevrolet

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates its centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 4.25 million vehicles in more than 120 countries. Chevrolet provides consumers with fuel-efficient, safe and reliable vehicles that deliver high quality, expressive design, spirited performance and value. The Chevrolet portfolio includes iconic performance cars such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long-lasting pickups and SUVs such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers such as Spark, Cruze, Malibu, Equinox and Traverse. Chevrolet also offers "gas-friendly to gas-free" solutions including Cruze Eco and Volt. Cruze Eco offers 42 mpg highway while Volt offers 35 miles of electric, gasoline-free driving and an additional 344 miles of extended range. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown. More information regarding Chevrolet models can be found at www.chevrolet.com.

SOURCE General Motors