DETROIT – An ongoing strike by the United Auto Employees union towards the Detroit automakers had little to no direct impact on Common Motors’ third-quarter U.S. new automobile gross sales.

The Detroit automaker on Tuesday reported a 21.4% enhance in gross sales from July by September in comparison with nonetheless subdued gross sales within the third quarter of 2022, when the trade was nonetheless recovering from provide chain points.

GM’s enhance considerably outpaced auto analyst expectations for the general trade of 15% to 16% for the third quarter. Gross sales of each one of many Detroit automaker’s manufacturers rose in comparison with a yr earlier.

GM and different firms doubtless will face gross sales and provide chain issues if the UAW’s strike, which started Sept. 15, is expanded or extended. Solely 25,200 staff, or roughly 17% of UAW members lined by the expired contracts with GM, Ford Motor and Stellantis, are a part of the work stoppages.

UAW has been regularly growing the strikes because the work stoppages started, after the edges failed to achieve tentative agreements by Sept 14. The focused, or “get up,” strikes are happening as a substitute of nationwide walkouts wherein all crops concurrently strike.

Nationwide strikes have an effect on the businesses extra shortly. The focused walkouts purpose to protect the union’s funds and delay the work stoppages to maintain the automakers off keel.

The impacts of the strikes will doubtless start displaying in October for sure automobiles such because the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon midsize pickups, the place work stoppages have affected manufacturing, in line with Cox Automotive chief economist Jonathan Smoke.

“So far, the influence has been pretty muted,” Smoke mentioned in a Friday weblog put up. “Ought to the strike towards manufacturing websites additional increase, the extra susceptible merchandise are the big SUVs from Chevrolet and Cadillac, which have tighter stock ranges in comparison with their home rivals.”

For GM, the UAW strikes have hit manufacturing of the midsize pickups and Chevrolet Traverse and Buick Enclave SUVs.

GM’s gross sales heading into the fourth quarter have been up greater than 19% to roughly 1.97 million automobiles bought within the U.S. That included greater than 20,000 electrical automobile gross sales, a 28% enhance in comparison with the second quarter.

Notably, the automaker began promoting new electrical variations of its Chevrolet Blazer SUV and Silverado pickup in the course of the third quarter. The corporate additionally elevated manufacturing and gross sales of the Cadillac Lyriq EV and Hummer fashions in the course of the quarter. Nevertheless, gross sales nonetheless pale compared to Tesla’s electrical automobile deliveries.

Throughout the quarter, GM additionally was assisted by development of newer, entry-level fashions such because the Chevrolet Trax and Buick Envista, each of that are being imported from crops in South Korea.