GM: Fleet Sales Rose 14% In October

General Motors Co. saw sales of fleet vehicles rise 14 percent in October, as retail sales rose 16 percent on the strength of light-duty truck sales, the automaker announced Friday.

Sales of the new 2014 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra light-duty trucks increased 62 percent from September. The automaker sold 7,685 large pickup trucks to fleet customers, which accounted for 13 percent of total sales, GM spokesman James Cain told Automotive Fleet. The newly redesigned trucks arrived at dealerships this summer.

Sales of retail vehicles outpaced fleet vehicles in October, as the automaker logged a 21.5 percent fleet mix in the month. That represented a 0.3 percent decline from October of 2012. So far in calendar-year 2013, fleet sales have made up 24 percent of total sales, a 2.5 percent decline from the first 10 months of 2012.

This month, GM is delivering its Chevrolet Silverado High Country and GMC Sierra Denali to showrooms. A redesigned range of heavy-duty pickups will arrive by April 1. All-new Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac full-size SUVs will also arrive in the first quarter. Later in the year, GM will introduce redesigns of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon mid-size pickups.