Topic: GM Back On Top

[Snowman]

 

http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/10/autos/gm_global_sales_leader/index.htm?source=cnn_bin

 

[Mike]

It's only because of the Bailout, Rental Sales, Tebow's Touchdown Passes and Fluoride in the water.

[airbalancer]

It's only because of the Bailout, Rental Sales, Tebow's Touchdown Passes and Fluoride in the water.

you forgot to add in global warming 

[richink]

It's only because of the Bailout, Rental Sales, Tebow's Touchdown Passes and Fluoride in the water.

you forgot to add in global warming 

... and Iranians pointing muskets at the Stennis battle group in the Strait of Hormuz, threateningly

[PJungnitsch]

The thing with GM's numbers is they tend to count the Wuling minivans, over a million units at only 33% ownership. Even GM China is only 49% owned by GM.

[articsteve]

But Lindland said GM can be pleased that it got back on top without that kind of deep discounting and grab for market share.

Hilarious article.

A poster named Hammy from Newfieland just started a topic about his maybe lease on a new Regal @ $411 per month tax in with $1K in snow tires, no down.

Chey pickups; even before trade in negotiation discounts start @ $7500.  Vettes in USA $10K off list.

GM pension liability of 120 BILLION.

Opel essentially DOA.

GM IPO: $34.

Today:  $22.



Nothings changed at GM.  Still fantastic with the BS.  Vehicles are better, but so are everyone elses.

[richink]

But Lindland said GM can be pleased that it got back on top without that kind of deep discounting and grab for market share.

Hilarious article.

A poster named Hammy from Newfieland just started a topic about his maybe lease on a new Regal @ $411 per month tax in with $1K in snow tires, no down.

Chey pickups; even before trade in negotiation discounts start @ $7500.  Vettes in USA $10K off list.

GM pension liability of 120 BILLION.

Opel essentially DOA.

GM IPO: $34.

Today:  $22.



Nothings changed at GM.  Still fantastic with the BS.  Vehicles are better, but so are everyone elses.

Yup Lindland is just another windbag senior GM exec like Roger Smith and Bob Lutz were. All fizzle, no pop and full of contradictions.

[Oldsguy]

One thing I like about this forum is that there is never any knee-jerk bashing of GM here. At most other sites you have know-nothing windbags making unfounded allegations and running off at the mouth without any rationale just for the sake of hate.

[rrocket]

One thing I like about this forum is that there is never any knee-jerk bashing of GM here. At most other sites you have know-nothing windbags making unfounded allegations and running off at the mouth without any rationale just for the sake of hate.

You have to remember that even as GM was approaching their bankruptcy they were still the worlds sales leader...or very close to it.  Merely being the sales leader doesn't guarantee profitability...as GM found out the hard way.

BTW....have you checked their stock price lately?

[ajay]

Quote
 GM has earned $7.1 billion through the first nine months of 2011.

Oddly, being profitable has not helped GM's stock. According to regulatory filings, GM has lost about one-quarter of its value since the company's initial public offering in 2010. GM is viable and profitable and its leadership is anxious to see the share price rise so that governments can sell their stakes and rid GM of the label "Government Motors."



Read more: http://autos.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Autos/20111230/year-end-autos-cato-111230/?s_name=Autos#ixzz1jI1BOFgi

[rrocket]

Quote
 GM has earned $7.1 billion through the first nine months of 2011.

Oddly, being profitable has not helped GM's stock. According to regulatory filings, GM has lost about one-quarter of its value since the company's initial public offering in 2010. GM is viable and profitable and its leadership is anxious to see the share price rise so that governments can sell their stakes and rid GM of the label "Government Motors."



Read more: http://autos.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Autos/20111230/year-end-autos-cato-111230/?s_name=Autos#ixzz1jI1BOFgi

It's easier to be profitable when you get an income tax exemption to the tune of $45.5 BILLION (companies that declare BK aren't supposed to get this exemption) and all your debt is wiped out....

[sailor723]

I really don't think GM has reformed in any significant way or changed the way  they do business. I give them about 10 years before they've blown all the handouts and are back in the dumper.

[Fobroader]

You cant be profitable when you have to pay someone $35/hour + benefits + pension to do unskilled labour like stick headlights in a minivan.....Plus with all the pensions and benefits they have to pay out this company is going to a a lot more Tebows to get back to being profitable blue share stock. I love GM, best trucks and SUVs on the market (never been a fan of any of their cars since about 1988) so I really hope they get their heads out of their asses before they go broke again.

[richink]

You cant be profitable when you have to pay someone $35/hour + benefits + pension to do unskilled labour like stick headlights in a minivan.....Plus with all the pensions and benefits they have to pay out this company is going to a a lot more Tebows to get back to being profitable blue share stock. I love GM, best trucks and SUVs on the market (never been a fan of any of their cars since about 1988) so I really hope they get their heads out of their asses before they go broke again.

It's part of the problem but it also hurts when you don't have products that could even remotely be considered as class leaders in the segments where there is money to be made. The Cruze just isn't good enough when compared to a Civic, a Corolla or an Elantra. GM's mid-size beasts are a joke. I'd also say toss together a decently equipped minivan and sell it for $18,995 with a finance deal to undercut Chrysler. More SUV's and niche market sports cars are not the answer for GM. As terrible as it sounds, mundaine family/mass appeal vehicles are the way out for GM. They need to bring out strong products that can retail 3000 units a month.

[Fobroader]

Im in total agreance with you, boring, non descript, white bread cars like Camrys, Accords and Caravans are where the money is made. GM has specialized in boring rental fleet type of vehicles, but they werent as good as the Camrys or Accords of the world. The Camaro and Corvette are great "hero" cars but they need to thicken up that midrange. Too bad the GTO and G8 never took off.....I kinda liked those 

[laspalmas]

You cant be profitable when you have to pay someone $35/hour + benefits + pension to do unskilled labour like stick headlights in a minivan.....Plus with all the pensions and benefits they have to pay out this company is going to a a lot more Tebows to get back to being profitable blue share stock. I love GM, best trucks and SUVs on the market (never been a fan of any of their cars since about 1988) so I really hope they get their heads out of their asses before they go broke again.

New-car Clunkers to Avoid

GMC Sierra/Chevrolet Silverado 2500These heavy-duty pickups are built to tackle the toughest jobs, with a maximum towing capacity of 17,500 pounds when properly equipped, but they're hardly amenable as everyday drivers for those merely looking to assume a burly vehicular profile.
The Sierra and Silverado 2500s ranked at number four and five on Consumer Report's least-reliable vehicles list and get "below average" ratings for residual value from Automotive Lease Guide. The standard-duty 1500 models are better choices for truck buyers with more modest needs.

Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon
Sales of small pickups like this duo from General Motors have fallen through the floor in recent years as buyers discovered they could obtain a full-size hauler with additional capabilities for not much more money. Fitted with either the standard four-cylinder engine or available five-cylinder powerplant, the Colorado and Canyon are best for recreational use only. The trucks' five-speed manual transmission is crude and the optional four-speed automatic is outdated. A V-8 is available, but it's sheer overkill here and specifying it further narrows the price gap between these models and the superior Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size models.

Used Cars to Avoid (plus Alternatives)

Midsize SUV: GMC Acadia
Though its quality has improved in recent models, the 2008 Acadia is a repeat loser in this category. With the minimum two circles in the J.D. Power survey, it gets a worse than average used car ranking from Consumer Reports. Readers there reported problems with the suspension and audio system. The Acadia SLE model is selling for about $16,000-$26,000, according to autoTRADER.ca.
Alternative: Toyota 4 Runner. This 2008 Toyota stalwart won the J.D. Power reliability award and is rated much better than average as a used car in the Consumer Reports ratings, where readers reported no serious problems. Reviewers praise its capability both on the highway and off-road. The 2008 4Runner SR5 version is selling at about $25,000-$31,000.

http://ca.autos.yahoo.com/p/2321/5-used-cars-to-avoid-plus-alternatives
http://ca.autos.yahoo.com/p/2322/10-new-car-clunkers-to-avoid
Don't want to start a war here and nothing personal Fobroader, but it doesn't seem to be the concensus.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

You cant be profitable when you have to pay someone $35/hour + benefits + pension to do unskilled labour like stick headlights in a minivan.....Plus with all the pensions and benefits they have to pay out this company is going to a a lot more Tebows to get back to being profitable blue share stock. I love GM, best trucks and SUVs on the market (never been a fan of any of their cars since about 1988) so I really hope they get their heads out of their asses before they go broke again.

It's part of the problem but it also hurts when you don't have products that could even remotely be considered as class leaders in the segments where there is money to be made. The Cruze just isn't good enough when compared to a Civic, a Corolla or an Elantra. GM's mid-size beasts are a joke. I'd also say toss together a decently equipped minivan and sell it for $18,995 with a finance deal to undercut Chrysler. More SUV's and niche market sports cars are not the answer for GM. As terrible as it sounds, mundaine family/mass appeal vehicles are the way out for GM. They need to bring out strong products that can retail 3000 units a month.

You're full of it.

The Cruse sold better in the US than everything but the combined sales of the Matrix/Corolla.

There isn't much of a market to justify the expense of developing a new minivan. Ask Nissan.

The reason they sell so many trucks and SUV/CUVs? They sell and they have much higher margins than any car short of the premium brands like Lexus, Cadillac, MB and BMW. The manufacturer's profit in one Sierra Dually is, or at least was, near $20k. You aren't going to get that from a Malibu or Cruze, no matter how good the car is. For a big CUV like the Acadia, the profit is somewhere around $12k.

The whole anti-UAW screed is equally a crock. The German autoworkers make double what the UAW hourly worker makes, never mind the government funding for their benefits. Yet they produce more cars and their companies make more profit.

http://autos.sympatico.ca/auto-news/12799/germany-turns-out-55-million-cars-us-only-27-million

[richink]

You cant be profitable when you have to pay someone $35/hour + benefits + pension to do unskilled labour like stick headlights in a minivan.....Plus with all the pensions and benefits they have to pay out this company is going to a a lot more Tebows to get back to being profitable blue share stock. I love GM, best trucks and SUVs on the market (never been a fan of any of their cars since about 1988) so I really hope they get their heads out of their asses before they go broke again.

It's part of the problem but it also hurts when you don't have products that could even remotely be considered as class leaders in the segments where there is money to be made. The Cruze just isn't good enough when compared to a Civic, a Corolla or an Elantra. GM's mid-size beasts are a joke. I'd also say toss together a decently equipped minivan and sell it for $18,995 with a finance deal to undercut Chrysler. More SUV's and niche market sports cars are not the answer for GM. As terrible as it sounds, mundaine family/mass appeal vehicles are the way out for GM. They need to bring out strong products that can retail 3000 units a month.

You're full of it.

The Cruse sold better in the US than everything but the combined sales of the Matrix/Corolla.

There isn't much of a market to justify the expense of developing a new minivan. Ask Nissan.

The reason they sell so many trucks and SUV/CUVs? They sell and they have much higher margins than any car short of the premium brands like Lexus, Cadillac, MB and BMW. The manufacturer's profit in one Sierra Dually is, or at least was, near $20k. You aren't going to get that from a Malibu or Cruze, no matter how good the car is. For a big CUV like the Acadia, the profit is somewhere around $12k.

The whole anti-UAW screed is equally a crock. The German autoworkers make double what the UAW hourly worker makes, never mind the government funding for their benefits. Yet they produce more cars and their companies make more profit.

http://autos.sympatico.ca/auto-news/12799/germany-turns-out-55-million-cars-us-only-27-million

I'd like to sewe those numbers with the fleet sales hauled out. If US airports look anything like the Canadian ones, they'll have the majority of the rental desks filled to the brim with Cruze's. This is a "trick" that GM has been playing since the beginning of time with their sales figures. Sure Honda, Toyota, Hyundai and VW have their fleet sales but it pales in comparison to the way that GM pumps cars into Avis, Hertz, Budget and National. A while ago I had data that pointed to the fact that fleet made up close to 50% of GM's "retail" passenger car sales.

Lumping the Cruze and Cobalt sales in together is also wrong, the are two totally different cars although pulling out the Cobalt sales would have a negligible effect but they are both representative of GM's small cars so I'll accept that.

Nissan wouldn't even cross the mind of your average honkey minivan buyer, and they sure as hell weren't anywhere close to the Caravan's in price. That's what I'm saying - go toe to toe with Chrysler and I'd put serious money on the fact that GM would scoop buyers in droves. That's the reason why Chrysler has sat at the top of the minivan mountain for so long. When I used to sell Honda we'd always say that if you want a cheap disposable minivan, the Caravan was the way to go but if wanted a quality machine with some decent driveability, here's the Odyssey.

I didn't question their trucks, and wouldn't. You're either a Chev, Ford or Dodge person; point finale.

By the commentary I can suppose their answer to the minivan's is dominance in the CUV/SUV marketplace? It's hard to believe they make any more money off a $25000 SUV than they would off a well engineered mid-size for the same price.

So then it's a foregone conclusion that there must be something else happening at GM that would explain the bloodloss. Why are they so unprofitable? Are there just as many people who would never consider stepping into a GM showroom as there are for Hyundai in the same sense?

[CanuckG35]

One thing that I've always wanted to see is sales numbers based solely on consumer purchases.  Take out all of the rental fleet sales, police cruiser sales, etc.  Just plain ole consumer sales.  It would be interesting to see how the figures would vary compared to what is actually published. 

[airbalancer]

One thing that I've always wanted to see is sales numbers based solely on consumer purchases.  Take out all of the rental fleet sales, police cruiser sales, etc.  Just plain ole consumer sales.  It would be interesting to see how the figures would vary compared to what is actually published. 

I would also take leases out of the equation