GM posts 1st monthly sales gain in almost 2 years - Team-BHP

BlackPearl · 4th November 2009, 02:21

link - GM posts 1st monthly sales gain in almost 2 years - Yahoo! News

extract -

DETROIT – GM reported its first monthly gain in U.S. sales in almost two years while Toyota and Ford also improved, a sign the auto industry it starting to crawl back from a yearlong slump.
Demand for new cars and crossovers in October fueled better results for General Motors Co. and Detroit rival Ford Motor Co. GM's sales rose 4.7 percent from October 2008, while Ford notched a 3-percent gain. Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp. said its sales edged up less than a percent. Less rosy news came from Chrysler Group LLC, whose sales fell 30 percent, though they improved from September.
Automakers had said October would be a test of the strength of the auto market after the volatile effects of the government's Cash for Clunkers program. The industry staggered through a tough September, hurt by the collapse of demand following the clunker rebates that fueled a sales surge over the summer.
The mood was in contrast to a year ago, when consumers were frightened away from showrooms by the early effects of the financial meltdown and credit freeze.
Ford's top economist Emily Kolinski Morris said October sales signal a real underlying demand for new vehicles after the distorting effects of the clunkers program. The economy, she said, is "in transition from recession to recovery."
"We expect consumers to remain cautious as the recovery continues," she told analysts and reporters during a conference call.
This October, Ford got a boost from new product launches and gained U.S. market share for the 12th time in 13 months as its critically acclaimed vehicles continue to grab buyers from rivals. Ford has also benefited from consumer goodwill because it didn't take government bailout money or go into bankruptcy, as General Motors Chrysler did.
More than 80 percent of Ford's sales last month came from 2010 models, which also helped the company lower its incentives.
That was in line with the industry, which spent less to give car buyers big rebates. Automakers focused on clearing out old inventory and on selling 2010 models, which are not discounted as heavily.
Fuel-efficient models like the Ford Fusion sedan and Escape small sport utility vehicle sold well, with both notching sales jumps of around 25 percent. Ford's overall car sales rose 11 percent over last October, while crossovers climbed 23 percent.
New 2010 models like the Taurus and Lincoln MKT crossover also flew off dealer lots.
Ford's truck sales, by contrast, fell 10 percent.
Chrysler, the maker of the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram truck brands sold 65,803 vehicles last month, up 6 percent from September. That was when its sales slumped because dealerships could offer few popular models. The automaker, which is announcing a new product strategy on Wednesday, is aiming to show steady improvement from month to month.
Looking to boost November sales, Chrysler will offer a slew of new incentive programs this week. The carmaker will offer 0 percent financing for up to 48 months on all its vehicles, and a no-cost maintenance and service program on its Jeep and Chrysler brands. Buyers also can opt for $2,500 off their purchase if they don't take the no-interest financing. The deals begin Wednesday and run until Nov. 30.
Automakers spent less money on consumer incentives over all in October compared with last year and September, according to Edmunds.com. The auto research Web site said 2010 models, which require fewer discounts than older model-year vehicles, made up a larger portion of vehicles sold in October.
Ford spent the least on incentives among the Detroit Three automakers, according to Edmunds. Ford spent $2,909 per vehicle. That's down one-fourth from October last year and 6 percent from September.
Still, it spent more on incentives than the industry average of $2,468, with Japanese automakers like Honda and Toyota spending significantly less.

Susan Docherty, GM's new sales chief, acknowledged that it led the industry in spending on rebates, low-interest financing and other incentives in October. Edmunds estimates GM spent $4,277 per vehicle sold versus the industry average.
The company spent more as it phases out the Pontiac and Saturn brands, and because it had a high number of 2009 models left in its inventory, Docherty said. GM, she said, plans to reduce incentives as it sells down older models and ships more newly launched vehicles, though she declined to say when.
"It didn't happen overnight and we're not going to fix it overnight," Docherty said. Hyundai, based in South Korea, said its sales jumped 49 percent to 31,005 vehicles. Japanese automaker Subaru said its October auto sales surged 41 percent, helped by strong sales in its Outback and Forester models.

Nitin · 4th November 2009, 03:26

Pretty decent offers these days, with the 0% financing for 72 months. And by the looks of it, the Taurus should be a decent hit with the mid-level buyers. 365BHP on tap, and it definitely has something to talk about.
Same with the new line of Lincolns.Like the MKZ & MKT!

Samir Taheer · 4th November 2009, 13:30

GM have also this morning decided not to sell Vauxhall and parent company Opel to Magna, becuase of the increase in business. They feel they should hang onto Opel now, which is really good news because it secures 1000's of jobs!!

BlackPearl · 4th November 2009, 20:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samir Taheer

GM have also this morning decided not to sell Vauxhall and parent company Opel to Magna, becuase of the increase in business. They feel they should hang onto Opel now, which is really good news because it secures 1000's of jobs!!

Thats great news.. @Samir Taheer - can you please paste the link for this news here?

vdiatech · 4th November 2009, 21:55

Its strange how we let GM continue to treat as fools !
Let us not forget how thier OPEL brands let people down. A vectra that costed 17L at launch now is available for 2.5 Lakhs !

You dont get parts..service is bad etc. Still they thrive by launching newer models? Would be worth to watch what happens with the Optra's after 2 years when GM as keep in with its track record, most likely shun production.

4th November 2009, 02:21	#1 (permalink)
BlackPearl BHPian Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Hightstown(NJ, USA), Calcutta (India) Posts: 958 View My Garage	GM posts 1st monthly sales gain in almost 2 years link - GM posts 1st monthly sales gain in almost 2 years - Yahoo! News extract - DETROIT – GM reported its first monthly gain in U.S. sales in almost two years while Toyota and Ford also improved, a sign the auto industry it starting to crawl back from a yearlong slump. Demand for new cars and crossovers in October fueled better results for General Motors Co. and Detroit rival Ford Motor Co. GM's sales rose 4.7 percent from October 2008, while Ford notched a 3-percent gain. Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp. said its sales edged up less than a percent. Less rosy news came from Chrysler Group LLC, whose sales fell 30 percent, though they improved from September. Automakers had said October would be a test of the strength of the auto market after the volatile effects of the government's Cash for Clunkers program. The industry staggered through a tough September, hurt by the collapse of demand following the clunker rebates that fueled a sales surge over the summer. The mood was in contrast to a year ago, when consumers were frightened away from showrooms by the early effects of the financial meltdown and credit freeze. Ford's top economist Emily Kolinski Morris said October sales signal a real underlying demand for new vehicles after the distorting effects of the clunkers program. The economy, she said, is "in transition from recession to recovery." "We expect consumers to remain cautious as the recovery continues," she told analysts and reporters during a conference call. This October, Ford got a boost from new product launches and gained U.S. market share for the 12th time in 13 months as its critically acclaimed vehicles continue to grab buyers from rivals. Ford has also benefited from consumer goodwill because it didn't take government bailout money or go into bankruptcy, as General Motors Chrysler did. More than 80 percent of Ford's sales last month came from 2010 models, which also helped the company lower its incentives. That was in line with the industry, which spent less to give car buyers big rebates. Automakers focused on clearing out old inventory and on selling 2010 models, which are not discounted as heavily. Fuel-efficient models like the Ford Fusion sedan and Escape small sport utility vehicle sold well, with both notching sales jumps of around 25 percent. Ford's overall car sales rose 11 percent over last October, while crossovers climbed 23 percent. New 2010 models like the Taurus and Lincoln MKT crossover also flew off dealer lots. Ford's truck sales, by contrast, fell 10 percent. Chrysler, the maker of the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram truck brands sold 65,803 vehicles last month, up 6 percent from September. That was when its sales slumped because dealerships could offer few popular models. The automaker, which is announcing a new product strategy on Wednesday, is aiming to show steady improvement from month to month. Looking to boost November sales, Chrysler will offer a slew of new incentive programs this week. The carmaker will offer 0 percent financing for up to 48 months on all its vehicles, and a no-cost maintenance and service program on its Jeep and Chrysler brands. Buyers also can opt for $2,500 off their purchase if they don't take the no-interest financing. The deals begin Wednesday and run until Nov. 30. Automakers spent less money on consumer incentives over all in October compared with last year and September, according to Edmunds.com. The auto research Web site said 2010 models, which require fewer discounts than older model-year vehicles, made up a larger portion of vehicles sold in October. Ford spent the least on incentives among the Detroit Three automakers, according to Edmunds. Ford spent $2,909 per vehicle. That's down one-fourth from October last year and 6 percent from September. Still, it spent more on incentives than the industry average of $2,468, with Japanese automakers like Honda and Toyota spending significantly less. Susan Docherty, GM's new sales chief, acknowledged that it led the industry in spending on rebates, low-interest financing and other incentives in October. Edmunds estimates GM spent $4,277 per vehicle sold versus the industry average. The company spent more as it phases out the Pontiac and Saturn brands, and because it had a high number of 2009 models left in its inventory, Docherty said. GM, she said, plans to reduce incentives as it sells down older models and ships more newly launched vehicles, though she declined to say when. "It didn't happen overnight and we're not going to fix it overnight," Docherty said. Hyundai, based in South Korea, said its sales jumped 49 percent to 31,005 vehicles. Japanese automaker Subaru said its October auto sales surged 41 percent, helped by strong sales in its Outback and Forester models. __________________ Don't take life too seriously, no matter what you do you won't come out of it alive

4th November 2009, 13:30	#3 (permalink)
Samir Taheer BHPian Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: London, & Pune Posts: 279	GM have also this morning decided not to sell Vauxhall and parent company Opel to Magna, becuase of the increase in business. They feel they should hang onto Opel now, which is really good news because it secures 1000's of jobs!! __________________ The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life- Muhammad Ali

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4th November 2009, 03:26	#2 (permalink)
Nitin Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 2,832 View My Garage	Pretty decent offers these days, with the 0% financing for 72 months. And by the looks of it, the Taurus should be a decent hit with the mid-level buyers. 365BHP on tap, and it definitely has something to talk about. Same with the new line of Lincolns.Like the MKZ & MKT!

4th November 2009, 21:55	#5 (permalink)
vdiatech BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 267	Its strange how we let GM continue to treat as fools ! Let us not forget how thier OPEL brands let people down. A vectra that costed 17L at launch now is available for 2.5 Lakhs ! You dont get parts..service is bad etc. Still they thrive by launching newer models? Would be worth to watch what happens with the Optra's after 2 years when GM as keep in with its track record, most likely shun production.