Mathilde Carlier
Research Expert covering transportation and logistics
General Motors Company in the United States - Statistics & Facts
General Motors was the leading automotive manufacturer in the United States in 2023, based on its estimated market shares of nearly 17 percent. The company owns several of the most iconic U.S.-built car brands, including Buick, Chevrolet, and Cadillac. Chevrolet is GM's most successful brand, with its Equinox model ranking sixth among the best-selling crossover and sport utility vehicles of the country in 2023. Although the automaker assembles most of its cars in the United States, GM also manufactures a large percentage of its cars in Asia: Most of GM’s cars dedicated to the Chinese market are produced locally, and a Buick was the first car to be produced in GM’s Shanghai plant in 1998.
The Chevrolet Silverado was also one of the best-selling light trucks in the U.S. Light trucks have been steadily gaining popularity in the country, and GM has invested in being one of the segments’ leaders. The GMC Hummer EV was among the few electric pickup trucks on the market, and an August 2023 survey found 48 percent of consumers on the market for a new pickup would consider purchasing the electric truck. This was the same score as the Rivian R1T and 21 percentage points more than Tesla's Cybertruck. The Chevrolet Bolt was also among the best-selling plug-in electric cars in the United States in 2023, ensuring GM’s place in the booming U.S. electric vehicle market. While labor strikes in late 2023 in the United States contributed to a drop in GM's earnings before interest and taxes, the popularity of the American manufacturer remained undeniably strong in its domestic market.
One of the factors behind this success with consumers is General Motors’ advertising spending in the United States. Since 2021, the company started to increase its advertising expenses, remaining the automobile manufacturer with the highest expenditures in the country in 2022. The automaker spent on average of 1,414 U.S. dollars per Buick vehicle sold in 2022, which was around 1,240 U.S. dollars more than what Ford Motor Company spent on the sale of one car from its eponymous brand.
Part of General Motors’ popularity in the U.S. market could also be due to vehicle availability. American brands tended to have better vehicle availability as of December 2023, with Buick among the five brands with the best availability as of that month, at 106 days of supply. Comparatively, GMC recorded 73 days of supply while Chevrolet reported 71 days of supply, and Cadillac had the lowest availability at 61 days of supply. In contrast, Toyota vehicles only had 32 days of supply.
A preference for the North American market
GM’s global sales have been dropping since 2016. While 2023 marked a change in this trend, with sales up by 4.2 percent year-over-year, the 6.2 million vehicles sold by GM worldwide were still far below the 2016 peak. However, while overall sales declined, the company’s annual revenue increased. GM North America accounted for some 89.7 percent of GM’s 2023 automotive revenue. The United States, where GM is headquartered, was the largest market for the automaker. Nearly 17 percent of the U.S. market were vehicles sold by one of the company’s brands, making it the best-selling automotive manufacturer in the country.The Chevrolet Silverado was also one of the best-selling light trucks in the U.S. Light trucks have been steadily gaining popularity in the country, and GM has invested in being one of the segments’ leaders. The GMC Hummer EV was among the few electric pickup trucks on the market, and an August 2023 survey found 48 percent of consumers on the market for a new pickup would consider purchasing the electric truck. This was the same score as the Rivian R1T and 21 percentage points more than Tesla's Cybertruck. The Chevrolet Bolt was also among the best-selling plug-in electric cars in the United States in 2023, ensuring GM’s place in the booming U.S. electric vehicle market. While labor strikes in late 2023 in the United States contributed to a drop in GM's earnings before interest and taxes, the popularity of the American manufacturer remained undeniably strong in its domestic market.
The key to consumer satisfaction
In 2023, GM's Cadillac brand ranked among the five automobile and light vehicle brands with the highest consumer satisfaction in the United States. Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC were also in the top 15, establishing a good track record for GM's brands.One of the factors behind this success with consumers is General Motors’ advertising spending in the United States. Since 2021, the company started to increase its advertising expenses, remaining the automobile manufacturer with the highest expenditures in the country in 2022. The automaker spent on average of 1,414 U.S. dollars per Buick vehicle sold in 2022, which was around 1,240 U.S. dollars more than what Ford Motor Company spent on the sale of one car from its eponymous brand.
Part of General Motors’ popularity in the U.S. market could also be due to vehicle availability. American brands tended to have better vehicle availability as of December 2023, with Buick among the five brands with the best availability as of that month, at 106 days of supply. Comparatively, GMC recorded 73 days of supply while Chevrolet reported 71 days of supply, and Cadillac had the lowest availability at 61 days of supply. In contrast, Toyota vehicles only had 32 days of supply.
