New Impala and Silverado: Strong Competitors in Largest Market Segments

DETROIT -- High retail sales numbers in July prove the popularity of Chevrolet products, especially its recent lineup additions.

Averaging 88 percent retail sales for its 17-vehicle lineup, Chevrolet posted especially impressive numbers for its newest products in the industry's largest market segments. Total Chevrolet retail sales for the month were 199,392 of the 225,981 units sold.

"By the end of 1999 Chevrolet will have introduced seven new products in 14 months (Silverado, Corvette Hardtop, Tracker, Impala, Monte Carlo, Tahoe and Suburban), and those products will account for more than 50 percent of our yearly sales," said Kurt Ritter, Chevrolet general manager. "In July we had five vehicles on each of the top 20 best-selling car and truck lists. We are especially encouraged by public acceptance of vehicles such as the all-new Impala and Silverado."

Impala's July retail sales exceeded 80 percent of the line's total sales for the month. Introduced just four months ago, Impala was already in the top 20 best-selling cars in the U.S. during July, making impressive inroads in the midsize car market, the industry's largest car market segment. Impala sales in July (9,815) overtook several competitors, including Dodge Intrepid (8,219) and Toyota Avalon (4,942).

In the largest volume vehicle segment of all -- full-size pickups -- Chevy Silverado's sales for July (45,929) increased 35 percent versus the year-ago period, and more than 92 percent of those sales were retail sales. With Chevy full-size pickup production scheduled to reach nearly 700,000 units in 1999, the all-new Silverado will make a significant contribution to what should be Chevrolet's best annual truck sales for the fourth consecutive year.

"Chevy's all-new 2000 Tahoe and Suburban full-size sport utility vehicles, which are built on the Silverado platform, will also exceed customer expectations before the end of the year," Ritter said. "Our continuing success in a variety of markets is building customer loyalty and strengthening brand identity.