DETROIT -- General Motors, with the help of increased incentives, is ending its monthly sales reporting on a high note.
The automaker, which announced it will switch to quarterly sales reporting, on Tuesday said its U.S. sales in March increased 16 percent from a year ago to 296,341 vehicles.
"March was an exceptional month for us. A growing economy and strong new products helped us execute a very successful plan to conquest customers from other brands," GM's U.S. sales chief Kurt McNeil said in a statement.
GM's March sales, according to ALG, were assisted by average incentives of roughly $5,082 per vehicle. That's up 12 percent from a year ago, according to the data and forecasting firm.
Crossover sales, driven by several redesigned and freshened models, continued to lead the charge for GM, up 41 percent in March. Truck sales, including full-size SUVs and vans, last month increased 15 percent, while car sales dropped 11 percent.
GM's fleet sales last month increased 1.3 percentage points compared with a year ago to 22 percent of total sales.
GM retail deliveries -- a concentration for the company -- increased 14 percent in March, led by 20 percent or more increases for GMC and Buick. Chevrolet retail sales increased 12 percent, while Cadillac was up 5.3 percent.
For the first quarter, a 23 percent increase in crossover sales and 2.6 percent uptick in trucks offset an 18 percent decline in car sales. GM's sales during the first three months of the year were up 3.8 percent.
Brands: Buick up 28%, Cadillac up 13%, Chevy increased 16%, GMC rose 11%.
Notable nameplates: Cadillac XT5 up 17%, Chevy Silverado up 24%, GMC Sierra down 7.5%, Chevy Equinox and Chevrolet Traverse both up 41%, Buick Encore up 82%, Chevy Cruze down 13%, Chevy Volt down 16%, Chevy Corvette down 15%.
Incentives: $5,082 per vehicle, up 12% from a year earlier and down 2.1% from February, according to ALG. That's forecast to be 15% of its average transaction price per unit.
Average transaction price: $34,912, down 3.8% from a year earlier, according to ALG.
Fleet mix: 22%, up 1.3 percentage points from a year ago.
Inventory: 72-day supply to end March, or 762,776 vehicles. That's down from 85 days, or 779,378 vehicles, a month ago.
Quotes: "Consumers are keeping the U.S. economy growing and auto sales very healthy. The job market is strong, consumer confidence is at decade-high levels and we see clear evidence that business owners are taking advantage of tax reform to upgrade their fleets," said GM chief economist Mustafa Mohatarem.
Did you know? March marked the best month ever for Buick Encore sales, up 50 percent to 15,118 units -- representing 56 percent of the brand's overall sales.
