General Motors Co. said Tuesday that the automaker sold 4.85 million vehicles globally during the first half of 2013, up 3.9 percent from the same period in 2012 as North America and China posted strong gains. Global sales for GM in Europe fell 6.5 percent during the first six months of the year, while sales in South America also slipped by 1 percent.
GM’s six-month tally may help the automaker gain some ground on Toyota Motor Corp. for the global sales crown. Toyota, which plans to release global sales for the first half of 2013 on July 25, has sold more than 4 million vehicles worldwide through the first five months of 2013. GM’s first-half figures were slightly ahead of Volkswagen AG, which said Friday it had 4.7 million global deliveries for the first half of 2013, up 5.5 percent from the 2012 period.
GM said its largest brand, Chevrolet, had a 1.4 percent sales increase during the first six months of 2013, selling a record 2.5 million vehicles globally. Chevy sold more than 1.3 million vehicles globally in the second quarter, the 11th quarter of increased sales in a row for the bow-tie brand thanks to vehicles such as the Onix subcompact in Brazil and Colorado midsize truck in Southeast Asia. The Chevy brand sold a record 4.95 million vehicles in 2012.