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For the first half of 2011, Chevrolet recorded sales gains in all of its top five markets, including:

• The United States, up 16%;
• Brazil, up 0.4% over the best-ever-sales pace set in 2010;
• China, up 15% to set the brand’s best first-half results yet;
• Russia, up 54% as the brand continues to be the best-selling global brand in the country; and
• Canada, where sales climbed 8%, and have more than doubled the pace of industry growth for the past 18 months.

Chevrolet attributes much of its global growth to the wave of new models, such as the Chevrolet Cruze compact car, Spark mini car, all-new Aveo/Sonic small car, and Orlando MPV. They will soon be joined globally by the all-new Chevrolet Malibu midsize car, and the all-new Colorado compact pickup, which will go on sale later this year.

Chevrolet sold more than 330,000 Cruzes worldwide during the first half of 2011, a 132% increase over the same time period a year ago. Much of that growth came in China and the United States, where Cruze was the best-selling passenger car in the country in June. Since introduction in early 2009, Cruze has sold more than 800,000 units worldwide and is on track to exceed 1 million before the end of 2012.

Chevrolet sold more than 220,000 Spark minicars worldwide since it was introduced in December 2009. That includes more than 100,000 Sparks sold during the first half of 2011—a 110% gain over a year ago—driven primarily by consumer demand in South Korea, Mexico, and Uzbekistan.

Chevrolet sold more than 150,000 Aveo compact cars in the first half of 2011, including the all-new Aveo, which will be called the Sonic in some markets. Introduced in South Korea in March, the new Aveo/Sonic is currently on sale in nearly 30 countries.