General Motors said Wednesday its US sales rose 16.6 percent in May from a year earlier, the eighth consecutive month of gains for the top US automaker.
GM said 223,822 cars and trucks were sold in May, outpacing April sales of 183,091 vehicles.
The carmaker, which was rescued from bankruptcy by the federal government last year, said that sales of four brands it retained following restructuring — Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac — rose 31.8 percent from May last year.
Steve Carlisle, vice president of GM’s US sales operations, said that GM’s brands have outperformed the US auto market thanks to the company’s newest products.
“Each of our brands has new products that are being received well by customers. In fact, these new vehicles now account for about one in every four retail sales in the US,” he said.
Last month, GM reported a post-bankruptcy quarterly profit for the first time in three years on the back of a jump in sales and cost-cutting measures.
GM entered a government-backed bankruptcy reorganization on June 1, 2009, with liabilities of 172.8 billion dollars.
The company emerged from bankruptcy protection on July 10 with 48.4 billion dollars in debt.
The US government — which has provided some 50 billion dollars in financing — received a 60.8 percent stake in the new firm called General Motors Company.
Canada, which extended 9.1 billion dollars in loans, has an 11.7 percent stake and a United Auto Workers union retiree healthcare trust fund holds 17.5 percent
