GM Sales Rise 4.2 Percent in February 2015

In February, General Motors had another successful month, with sales up 4.2 percent to 231,378 units. That follows an 18-percent year-over-year gain in January, which pushes GM year-to-date sales up 10.3 percent, compared to the first two months of 2014.

Winner:ChevroletSilverado: 45,395 sales, up 24.1 percent

The Chevrolet Silverado pickup line continues to gain steam, and so far for this year is selling 24.4-percent better than the same period in 2014. When combined with the GMC Sierra, GM pickup trucks sold 60,552 units last month - beating the Ford F-Series' 55,236 sales as well as the 31,298 sales accumulated by the Ram pickup line.

Winner:GMCbrand: 42,433 sales, up 19.3 percent

The GMC brand's success was driven by the continued growth of all of its models. Only the outgoing GMC Savana cargo van saw its sales slip. The GMC Yukon and Yukon XL enjoy a combined year-over-year sales gain of 58 percent to sell 4,844 SUVs. The abovementioned GMC Sierra posted a 6.5-percent sales gain compared to February 2014, finishing the month with a brand-leading 15,157 units sold.

Winner:Chevrolet Equinox: 21,723 sales, up 0.6 percent

The Cruze compact sedan was long the second best-selling Chevrolet, after the indomitable Silverado, but the Terrain crossover has overtaken it. In part, that switchover reflected a continued trend of customers switching from traditional sedans to crossovers industry-wide. With a refreshed 2016 Chevrolet Equinox launching this year, the nameplate only stands to see further sales gains as customers trade up to the new version.

Wait and See:Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon: 6,563/2,513 sales

The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon are both too new for year-over-year sales comparisons, but while their numbers lag far behind those of the full-size Silverado and Sierra, GM says early customer interest in the trucks is high. The automaker claims the Chevrolet Colorado only sits on dealer lots for an average of 15 days, a quick turnaround time for the new-car industry.

Loser:Cadillacbrand: 11,739 sales, down 12.6 percent

Most of Cadillac's luxury models saw sales fall last month: ATS sales fell 16.4 percent, the CTS dropped 42.7 percent, the SRX crossover tumbled 24.7 percent, and the XTS large sedan fell 6.9 percent. There were only two bright spots in the Cadillac lineup in terms of sales last month. The slow-selling Cadillac ELR plug-in rose 119.0 percent, although still only shifted 127 units, while Cadillac Escalade sales also grew to 2,377. February's result puts the Cadillac brand down 5.7 percent year-over-year through the end of February.

Loser: Cars

Almost universally last month, GM crossovers saw sales gains while traditional cars and sedans fell in the rankings. Sales of the Chevrolet Cruze, Impala, and Malibu all fell while the Equinox, Traverse, Suburban, and Tahoe all gained. That trend is playing out across the industry as more and more customers switch to SUV-like vehicles.

Loser:Chevrolet Camaro: 6,373 sales, up 2.6 percent

At first glance, the Chevrolet Camaro appears to have survived February -- not typically a strong sales month for rear-wheel-drive sports cars -- relatively unscathed. But its crosstown rival, the Ford Mustang, managed 8,454 sales in the same month. In fact, so far this year, Ford Mustang sales outpace the Camaro by 5,783 units.

Loser:Chevrolet Volt: 693 sales, down 42.7 percent

The Chevrolet Volt plug-in has never been one of GM's strongest-selling vehicles, but sales fell 18.6 percent in 2014 versus 2013, and so far this year the car continues to tumble in the sales charts. For January and February, Volt sales are 42.0-percent off the pace of the same period last year. It's possible all the car's potential buyers have already purchased a Volt, but it's equally possible sales will pick up again once the new, more efficient, more stylish 2016 Chevrolet Volt hits dealerships later this year.

Loser:Chevrolet Sonic: 2,900 sales, down 61.8 percent

Whether it's due to falling gas prices of the abundance of newer models in the segment, the Chevrolet Sonic subcompact is struggling. Sales for the Sonic through the first two months of the year are down 54.7 percent year-over-year. Within the Chevrolet brand, only a few retail models tallied fewer sales last month: the City Express cargo van (605 sales), the high-performance SS sedan (215), the even tinier Spark hatchback (2,674), and the Volt plug-in (693).

Source: GM