GM Canada December and 2008 Year End Sales

(December 2008 and December 2007 both had 25 selling days)

OSHAWA, ONTARIO--(MARKET WIRE)--Jan 5, 2009 -- For the 2008 calendar year, General Motors of Canada maintained its sales leadership position in Canada delivering 358,902 vehicles.

Marc Comeau, GM of Canada's vice-president of sales, service, and marketing said, "While industry sales were down in the month of December, sales of GM Canada's new highly competitive cars and crossovers held very well against the competition. Our new Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac Vibe and Buick Enclave all increased sales for the month and for the year overall. Small cars like the Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 and G6 also saw gains for the year as consumers shifted to smaller, fuel efficient vehicles."

"As we look ahead to 2009," added Comeau, "GM will introduce some exciting new products like the all-new Buick Allure and Cadillac SRX, as well as the Canadian-built Chevrolet Equinox. A new 2.4L direct injection engine helps the Equinox deliver best-in-segment estimated highway fuel economy of 6.7L/100km (30 mpg) - a 25-percent improvement over the previous model."

Sales Highlights

- Chevrolet Malibu maintained the momentum of being crowned 2008 North American Car of the Year, up a solid 20.7% in December and 78.5% for the year and leading GM's 35.8% gain for the calendar year in the mid-size segment.

- The Pontiac Vibe, AJAC's award winning Best New Small Car under $18,000 , saw strong gains in 2008, up 9.2% for December and 34.2% calendar year to date.

- Buick Enclave was up 95.3% for the year and drove gains in the mid-size utility/crossover segment where GM's family of crossovers boasts the best FWD highway fuel consumption of any 8 seat CUV/SUV and were the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's top safety pick for 2008.

- The Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 were both up for the year, 3.5% and 4.9% respectively.

 

GENERAL MOTORS OF CANADA SALES

MONTH OF DECEMBER 2008
                                                   2008      2007     % CHG
TOTAL CARS                                        8,267     9,678     -14.6%
TOTAL TRUCKS                                     12,733    16,412     -22.4%
COMBINED VEHICLES                                21,000    26,090     -19.5%

CALENDAR YEAR-TO-DATE: December 31(st), 2008
                                                   2008      2007     % CHG
TOTAL CARS                                      175,241   185,952      -5.8%
TOTAL TRUCKS                                    183,661   217,760     -15.7%
COMBINED VEHICLES                               358,902   403,712     -11.1%

General Motors of Canada (GMCL) is engineering and manufacturing advanced environmental technologies ranging from Active Fuel Management (cylinder deactivation) and hybrid systems to E85 biofuel and fuel cell vehicles - more than any other auto company right here in Canada. Headquartered in Oshawa Ontario, GMCL employs 12,000 people nationwide. GM of Canada manufactures vehicles, vehicle powertrains, and markets the full range of General Motors vehicles and related services through approximately 700 dealerships and retailers across Canada. Vehicles sold through this network include Chevrolet, Buick, Pontiac, GMC, Saturn, Hummer, Saab and Cadillac.

     Contacts:
     GM Canada
     Patty Faith
     (905) 644-2728
     Email: patty.faith@gm.com