General Motors outpaced its competition the first three months of the year, selling 693,363 vehicles in Q1, a 17% year-over-year increase.
The automaker was bolstered by a 94% YoY increase in EV sales. Chevrolet brand EV sales jumped by 119% YoY, led by the Equinox and Blazer EVs. Sales of electric Cadillac models also increased 37% over Q1 last year.
GM said Q1 pickup truck sales were their best since 2007 with GM-brand models representing about 40% of all domestic truck sales in the quarter.
“GM’s sales growth outpaced every other major automaker, and the driving force is our portfolio,” Rory Harvey, EVP and president of global markets, said in a statement. “We're the industry leader in trucks and affordable small SUVs, Cadillac is growing significantly in luxury, and we have the broadest portfolio of EVs in the industry.”
Audi sales fall 3%
Audi of America sold 42,710 vehicles in Q1, a 3% YoY drop. Sales of the A4 sedan tumbled 84% to 403 units compared to a year ago.
The automaker’s luxury Q8 SUV sales soared 71% for the quarter with 3,065 units. Audi said it closed March with an 8% sales improvement from the same month last year.
Sales of EVs increased 26.4% YoY to 13,538 units, led by the iX SUV with sales of 3,626 units. Passenger cars accounted for 43,619 of it vehicle sales in Q1, a 12.7% increase from a year ago.
“We are pleased to report a strong result for Q1, and with that a great start to 2025,” Sebastian Mackensen, president and CEO, BMW of North America, said in a statement. “BMW remains in a strong position in the U.S., where the majority of the vehicles we sell in this market are also assembled in this market.”
The automaker’s top performer was its F-Series pickup models, with sales of 190,389 units, a 24.5% YoY improvement. Sales of the Ranger soared 677.5% in Q1 to 14,913 units.
Ford’s SUV sales tumbled 16.7% from a year earlier, while car sales also declined sharply to 9,377 units, a 31.6% drop in the quarter.
Ford’s electrified line up, which includes both EVs and hybrids, jumped by 25.5% in Q1, representing 73,623 units of the automaker’s total quarterly sales.
Passenger cars represented a majority of sales with 67,400 units while vans made up with the rest with 7,700 units.
“We closed Q1 in a very strong position for wholesale group sales and celebrated our best-ever March in MBUSA’s history for retail sales,” Dimitris Psillakis, president and CEO and head of marketing and sales of Mercedes-Benz USA, said in a statement. “With an established longstanding legacy in the U.S. and a significant footprint and investments in both manufacturing and the retail service business, together with our dealers we will work tirelessly to make the best decisions for our customers and the business to proudly represent the three-pointed star in the communities we call home.”
Nissan Q1 sales up 5.7%
Nissan Motor Co. sold 267,085 vehicles in Q1, up 5.7% from the same period last year.
The automaker credited the sales lift to strong performance of its under $30,000 lineup including the Versa, Leaf, Kicks and Murano. Sales of the entry-level Versa sedan increased 156% YoY.
The Nissan lineup offset declines for the Infiniti luxury line, which fell 5.3% with 13,165 units sold.
Rivian produced more than 14K units in Q1
Rivian Automotive said it produced 14,611 vehicles in Q1 and delivered 8,640 during the quarter.
The automaker said its production totals are in line with projections discussed during its previous earrings call. Rivian reaffirmed its prior forecast of delivering between 46,000 and 51,000 vehicles in 2025.
Stellantis Q1 sales fall 12%
Stellantis’ FCA US division reported a 12% YoY sales decline in Q1 with 293,225 vehicles sold.
Despite the overall sales decrease, brands including Chrysler, Ram and Jeep reported gains during the quarter while Fiat’s U.S. sales increased 239%, driven by sales of the all-electric 500e.
"We’ve seen consecutive monthly market share growth since January, in addition to retail growth momentum, with the right mix of pricing and incentive actions put in place at the end of last year, leading both Jeep and Ram brands to post their best retail months of the year this March,” Jeff Kommor, head of U.S. sales, said in a statement.
TMNA ended the quarter strong with sales of 231,335 vehicles in March, a 7.7% YoY increase.
Quarterly sales of electrified vehicles totaled 288,796 units, up 39.6% YoY. Its luxury Lexus brand had its best Q1 ever with sales of 83,043 vehicles, up 5.8% YoY.
“We continue to see steady sales from our Toyota and Lexus brands due in part to improved inventory levels and new models like the Toyota 4Runner and Lexus LX hybrid,” EVP and COO Mark Templin, said in a statement.
