Saturn's February sales rose 10.2% to 19,429 units, up from 17,633 last year. Year-to-date sales totalled 40,447, up 27.9% from this time last year when retailers sold 31,631 cars.

Sales were lifted by the Vue and Ion. Saturn sold 4,899 Vues last month; a total of 8,989 Vues have been delivered since the beginning of this year. 7,340 Ions were sold last month, up from 5,386 sold in January 2003.

As retailer stock of the discontinued S-Series cars continues to dwindle, sales fell to 1,398, down 82.7% from 8,085 cars last year. L-Series sales were down only 1.4% to 5,792, down from 5,874 in February 2002. Sales of the redesigned L-Series cars are up 40% for the first two months of 2003. A total of 14,549 were sold in January and February this year, compared to 10,391 last year. In addition, Vue sales are also up 40%. Year-to-date 8,989 Vues have been sold this year; 6,382 were sold in the first two months of 2002.

"February was a challenging month for the industry, with poor weather in most of the country and significant uncertainty impacting consumers and the overall economy," said John Smith, group vice president of North America Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. "At GM, we had a tough comparison to our performance last February, which included record truck sales and a total share of nearly 31 percent. Yet, we're pleased with gains in our retail share compared to January, and all of 2002, and the prospects of further increases that will result from the 16 new GM products being introduced this year."

General Motors dealers sold 333,572 new cars and trucks in February in the United States, a 19 percent decrease versus February 2002. GM's overall truck sales (188,954) declined 21 percent, while car sales (144,618) were down 16 percent. GM continues to strengthen its position in the small utility segment as Saturn Vue and Chevrolet Tracker combined increased 6 percent over last year.

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Source: General Motors