General Motors today reported significantly improved 2006 second quarter financial results. Global automotive operations were profitable on an adjusted basis, excluding special items, for the first time since 2004, and the company posted a second consecutive quarter of record revenue. GM reported a net loss of $3.2 billion, or $5.62 per share, for the second quarter of 2006, compared with a reported loss of $987 million, or $1.75 per share, for the year-ago quarter. The net loss for the quarter included a total of $4.3 billion, or $7.66 per share, in special items that reflected a previously announced $3.7 billion after-tax charge related to employee buyouts. GM posted 2006 second-quarter adjusted net profit, excluding special items, of $1.2 billion, or $2.03 per share, on record revenue of $54.4 billion. This reflects a $1.4 billion improvement from the year-ago adjusted loss of $231 million, or $0.41 per share, on revenue of $48.5 billion. It also greatly surpasses analyst expectations of an $0.80 per share adjusted profit.
GM’s global automotive operations earned $362 million on an adjusted basis, excluding special items, representing an improvement of $1.3 billion year-over-year. This is due primarily to significant improvement in GM North America and continued profitability improvement in other regions.
GM North America posted an adjusted net loss of $85 million, excluding special items, in the second quarter of 2006, a $1.1 billion improvement over the prior year period. The improvement is attributable to reductions in GM’s cost base across a broad range of activities, including improvement in warranty and other quality-related costs and a reduction in ongoing pension expense, due largely to the success of the hourly attrition program.
GM Europe posted adjusted earnings, excluding special items, of $124 million for the quarter , an improvement of $94 million compared with earnings of $30 million in the second quarter of 2005. The improved earnings reflect favorable material costs and improvements in pricing.
“With the support of our employees, unions, dealers, suppliers and stockholders, we are moving rapidly and aggressively to address our challenges and restructure GM for future success,” said Rick Wagoner, GM chairman and chief executive officer. “It’s rewarding to see our automotive business return to profitability on an operating basis and a clear sign that we’re on the right track, but there is more work to be done.”
Wagoner also said the success of the accelerated attrition program in the United States , along with other cost initiatives, led GM to increase its structural cost reduction target in North America to $9 billion from $8 billion on an average annual running rate basis by the end of 2006.
“Our turnaround has not just gained traction, it’s accelerating into high gear,” Wagoner said. “While significant work still remains, our ability to identify and initiate $9 billion in cost cuts over the course of the past year is unprecedented in this industry.
“We’re particularly pleased with the speed with which our people have implemented our turnaround plan. Conventional wisdom is that you can’t turn a ship as big as GM around quickly. We aim to prove that conventional wisdom wrong.”



07/26, 9:42 AM
posted by:
ss
“GM reported a net loss of $3.2 billion”
i dont really care what the “adjusted” value is. they still lost a crap load. One time payment or not, its still money they had to pay. they are not even close to getting out of the red.
07/26, 9:46 AM
posted by:
Rene Curry
Kick the Renault-Nissan deal to the curb while you can! Currency trends are in GM’s favor and will be working against Renault & Nissan. Product, product, product is the only fix and that path has already been started.
07/26, 9:51 AM
posted by:
Bush
GMrules. You are one of most juvenile individuals I have ever come across.
Enjoy “hiding behind the web”. In person, I’m sure you have no balls.
07/26, 10:02 AM
posted by:
Renton
Bottom line good.
Product line… not so good.
07/26, 10:08 AM
posted by:
Think!
aka ENRON part 2
07/26, 10:09 AM
posted by:
Vicious6
GM will not be overtaken by imported garbage. The sleeping giant will awaken.
07/26, 10:11 AM
posted by:
Mamako
Mr Wagoneer, please stop posting under the “GMRules” nickname….
07/26, 10:13 AM
posted by:
DaveO
It’s all spin doctoring…the GM PR machine is once again working over time.
07/26, 10:20 AM
posted by:
Alexander
Sure is funny the GM is improving massively each quarter on a year ago basis, yet Nissan’s profit is slipping and Renault is, well, they’re going nowhere.
Why the hell does GM need an alliance with two companies who are declining financially and are near the bottom when it comes to global vehicle sales?
07/26, 10:23 AM
posted by:
Carsfeverguy
You guys obviously take each news item as if you’ve been living under a rock up to that point. Anyone remember the time of the buyouts some weeks ago? Anyone give a damn to recall that that 3.something billion.. one-time fee was expected to repay itself each year from the gains made? So next year, add 3 billion to that.. and you’re in the black and not the red. Long term memory… seems too much to ask of some ppl.
07/26, 10:25 AM
posted by:
Mike
ok, broken down for the reading comprehension impaired:
second-quarter adjusted net profit of $1.2 billion
record revenue of $54.4 billion
total net loss for the quarter $4.3 billion in special items including $3.7 billion related to employee buyouts.
4.3 – 3.7 = .6
1.2 – .6 = .6
so, we are looking at a total of $600,000,000.00 PROFIT, minus the buyout.
And Renton, we both can admit that GM’s product pipeline is looking really good, both immediate (’07 releases) and long term (’08 – ‘10)
07/26, 10:41 AM
posted by:
Renton
#9 –ooodaddy — That was quite an outburst, impressive.
Here is one for you……….my garage has better stuff in it than yours.
PS Are you saying I am a left wing nut and that I voted for Bush??? That does not compute Brainiac.
07/26, 10:48 AM
posted by:
chris2
2 black quarters do not mean GM is out of the woods. They have a lot of work to go to gain back the trust of past buyers.
GM should continue to focus on building strong cars, cut costs, cut overhead, cut hourly/plants to meet current sales and then cut fleet sales while increasing retail sales to replace the fleet. This will increase ATP and residuals. Quality has already been improved to be competitive. 25% of market share is great and one of the main reasons profits have gone away in the last year is that they continued to support capacity they could not use. They built cars/trucks to keep the plants working or paid wages to folks sitting on their butts. This extra production was unneeded and incentives/residuals and market share suffered. When the underutilized plants are shuttered and the nonworking employees are gone profits will rise substantially.
07/26, 10:50 AM
posted by:
gmlutz
GM is on the right track, simple as that.
07/26, 11:30 AM
posted by:
David Snitchnhinger
GM is going down, one good q can’t change that
07/26, 12:08 PM
posted by:
Ima_Nutzack
Oooodaddy wrote: “GM RULES would make a better president than BUSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ”
To be clear, ANYONE would make a better president than Bush. You’re damning GM Rules with faint praise. (Oooodaddy, that means you’re NOT complimenting him.)
Between GM Rules and Oooodaddy, this place has gotten out of control. GM Rules should go back to surfing porn on that computer at Clark U, and Oooodaddy should go out and stroke his Goat in the garage and give the rest of us a break. I honestly can’t believe that even these two believe the ignorant bile that spews from their pie holes.
Not that it matters, but I’m quite sure Renton’s garage surpasses oooodaddy’s just based on the nature and relative maturity level of his post. Mine does too, I can assure you. And my dad can beat up your dad, too. Big Focking Deal. Get over your ignorant selves.
-Ima
07/26, 12:13 PM
posted by:
Renton
ooodaddy—- after trying to decipher your grammar, it looks like you may have a very nice garage. If they are all numbers matching you have quite the $$$ sitting there. I’d sell.
It also explains why you think GM is sooo good right now. After driving your primitive (yet cool) machinery, modern GM must feel like precision instruments.
As to answer your question about what’s in mine, you were right about a bike. There are 4 of them.
I gots a 2003 BMW X5 4.4i ……. a 2006 Honda S2000…..A 20005 Triumph Rocket 3….. A 20005 BMW R1100S….A 1999 Ducati ST4 with some cool mods…and a perfect vintage 1977 Kawasaki Z1000 A1. I have a deposit on a 2007 Subaru STI Limited.
07/26, 12:33 PM
posted by:
GM number1-4ever
I cannot wait until GM destroys every other carmaker in the industry. There will be no stopping them and the competition across the globe will be forced out of business, dropping like flies. Nobody wants anything but GM vehicles so really, why would anyone support any other crap brand out there?
Nobody can match the engineering prowess, design, technology or quality of a GM vehicle, nobody. That is why they are number 1 and will remain there for good. Everything else is just a waste of space and by purchasing something else you are admitting that your an f’n moron.
So check out your local GM dealer if you want the best vehicles on the planet. There is no substitution, the American Revolution is about to end and GM will be the victor
07/26, 12:44 PM
posted by:
jake
I see that the idiot brigades, for both sides, are out in force.
That said, the improvement in the bottom line is impressive. Now turn some of that profit into higher spending on product development and win back the hearts of the American car buyer (GM does quite well overseas).
07/26, 12:57 PM
posted by:
Dustin
ok firts of all this is supposed to be a website for sweet SPORTS CAR enthusiasts, so i say all u sissy toyota and honda lovers go to a gay guys car website.
07/26, 1:01 PM
posted by:
Anonymous
Yeah this is a GM website, no crap allowed
07/26, 1:11 PM
posted by:
ooodaddy
nutzak
you may be the wisest man to use this sight my apologies to gm rules and much obliged to you for helping me with my delinquincies
07/26, 1:13 PM
posted by:
ooodaddy
Renton
Why so many bikes? donts you have a girlfriend
07/26, 3:45 PM
posted by:
Carlos
Someone needs to explain accounting to me.
“Wuhoo! We lost 3.2 billion dollars!”
07/26, 4:48 PM
posted by:
Jon
GM has the capability to improve their product range, and the quality of the vehicles, the question is however if they will actually get to Toyota / Honda levels. The interiors of their cars are sorely lacking in both design and quality. Even their Cadillac models pale in comparison to similarly priced cars by Audi / MB / Lexus. GM has a long way to go to come back to being a world-class car company…regardless if they are still the ‘biggest’.
I mention in passing that needlessly spurting: GM is #1 and they are better than ever other POS company out there, or the like is really unconstructive and just because you post it again and again does not make it true. I could keep on shouting: I can fly like superman, and guess what? I still won’t be able to fly like superman.
Jon.
07/26, 4:57 PM
posted by:
Bryan Detty
It isn’t that hard guys. Yes they took a one time loss of $4.3 Billion that will come out of GM’s petty Cash. They had around $15 Billion at the begginig of the year. That is why GM showed it the way that they did. They are showing Wall Street that they are going to be profitable.
With the buyouts of the 35,000 employee’s and reducing capacity. Wich also reduces wastefull scrap and other energy wastes. GM is looking to save $6 or even $7 Billion a year.
The way I am guessing is that GM is alligning itself to have 23% or lower market share. If they need to build more vehicles then they will make the employees work Ovetime. You can see this even with the Lordstown plant that build the Cobalt and G5 those are selling really well and can support 3 shifts. But what I am hearing is that they are going to drop or already have down to 2 shifts. GM will have them work every other Saturday or even make them work 10 hour days 4 days a week. Then having them work an additional Friday.
GM was running at somewhere near 78% capacity while Toyota was running at 110% capacity. If GM can get running at over 100% capacity then watch out.
07/26, 6:41 PM
posted by:
Uncle Sam
GM has $22B (B=billion) in cash reserves as of right now…..this is an impresive turn-around that is in the works, even GM basher’s have to admit that. As for the comments up the post about GM interiors, those are way out-of-line. If you knew anything about new GM vehicles, the interiors are world class ! Not there yet on everything, but the new stuff (Tahoe, STS, G6, Impala, etc.) all have very competitive interior design. Go GM go !!
07/26, 7:42 PM
posted by:
Bryan Detty
#30 Uncle Sam Yeah I guess I understated, And stand corrected. Detroit News stated that GM has over $20 Billion as of 3/30/06 http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060330/AUTO01/603300398/1148
As Carlos Ghosn said on CNBC That their inst much diffrece in Quality the Quality Gap between the Jap and American companies has been tightened. The thing is how the person percives quality. If the ride or the looks of the interior is appeling to the buyer than it is good.
Now I must admit as I stated before I own a 2006 Chevy Trailblazer. Seeing the Interior of the 2006 TB I wouldn’t own a previous year TB. Honestly there is a night and day diffrence.
07/26, 11:08 PM
posted by:
Kinno
The LLN comment boards are near becoming a complete waste of time to read.
Is it just me or has the quality of the posts been degrading constantly and consistently for … at least a number of months…?
07/27, 6:33 AM
posted by:
InvisibleEcho
#32, Kinno, I think you’re right.
You know, I don’t dislike GM cars. They have some foibles, sure but they usually cost less and quality has improved overall from what I’ve seen. I had seriously considered getting a new car and have it be a domestic like GM but I had one unreliable (foreign) car that I hated so bad, I try to stick to what I know will run and run well for a long time like Hondas, etc. I’m sure that doesn’t make me a GM hater because I don’t hate GM. They have a bad image and some goofs that they are trying to repair, no shame in that. I did the same thing with my credit history.
What I don’t understand is how anyone with 2 fingers to type and a brain to form words with can think that EVERYONE wants a GM car, that they are ALWAYS the best, and how we should all drop dead because everyone else who disagrees is F***ING WRONG RIGHT NOW.
I think each different brand and model have trade-offs, real attributes that can depending on the car offset whatever you buy. I don’t understand the line of reasoning that forces people to be so divisive. Everyone’s on this site cause they like cars, or websites about cars at least. Kids in preschool get along just fine. Why can’t we?