DETROIT – General Motors’ car gross sales had been buoyed by robust shopper demand within the first quarter as fleet gross sales cratered and an ongoing semiconductor chip scarcity shuttered some assembly plants.

The Detroit automaker stated Thursday it bought 642,250 autos through the first three months of the 12 months, up 3.9% in comparison with a 12 months earlier, when Covid-19 started forcing dealerships and auto plants to shutter in March.

GM is among the many first main automakers to report first-quarter gross sales on Thursday. Analysts count on gross sales throughout the trade to be up about 8% or 9% in comparison with the primary quarter of 2020.

GM stated retail gross sales to particular person shoppers elevated 19% within the first quarter, whereas fleet gross sales to company and authorities purchasers declined 35% from a 12 months earlier. The automaker expects shopper demand to stay resilient all through this 12 months.

“Client confidence and spending will proceed to extend as a consequence of stimulus, rising vaccination charges and the progressive reopening of the economic system,” GM Chief Economist Elaine Buckberg stated in a launch. “Auto demand ought to stay robust all year long.”

GM’s Buick, Cadillac and GMC manufacturers skilled double-digit gross sales will increase through the first quarter, whereas Chevrolet – its largest model – declined 1.7%. Chevrolet’s drop was as a consequence of a 12.5% lower in gross sales of its Silverado full-size pickup vans.