GM'S CHEVROLET SOLD 1.18 MLN VEHICLES WORLDWIDE

By Dan Hart, Bloomberg - General Motors Co. said its Chevrolet brand sold 1.18 million vehicles worldwide in the first quarter, up 6.5 percent from a year earlier, led by its Cruze sedan.

Chevrolet raised its global market share to 6.3 percent, reflecting the fastest growth of any high-volume brand for the past two calendar years, the Detroit-based automaker said.  More than 180,000 Cruze cars were sold in the quarter, up almost 20 percent over the year-earlier period, GM said in a statement.

Chevrolet sales in the U.S. gained 7.6 percent to 448,000 vehicles in the quarter, GM said.  Chevrolet sales in China rose 1.4 percent to 162,000 vehicles.

Chevrolet Europe sold 55,104 vehicles in western and central Europe, up 7.8 percent in the latest quarter, GM said.

In Brazil, Chevrolet sales fell 4.2 percent to 137,000 vehicles, while Mexican sales for the brand gained 14 percent in the quarter to 42,000 vehicles, GM said.  Argentine sales for Chevrolet rose 22 percent to 41,500 vehicles.

Chevrolet, which has traditionally been an American brand for GM, now has more than 60 percent of its sales outside the U.S., the world's largest automaker said.