Comments on: GM sales rise; Ford, Chrysler slip

By: F451

F451 — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 19:35:00 +0000

My grievance with American car companies is that we all know that they could have done better. It is synonymous with the kid that goes to all the right schools, then flunks out of college. I also will vote vehemently against any US government bailouts as this simply condones and verifies their failings. American companies will need to start doing the right thing, and compete with viable products to win me back. I do not hate American car companies—I am frustrated as all hell with them.

By: F451

F451 — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 18:59:38 +0000

More news on the potential Chrysler buyout:

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/story.aspx?guid=%7B256D8EC9%2D77FD%2D490C%2DBB1C%2DD69FBF1E9D93%7D&dist=rss

By: oil-burnrr

oil-burnrr — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 22:38:29 +0000

Wow GM posted an increase in sales, big freakin deal. That doesn’t matter one little bit when they are still hemorrhaging money like crazy. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter how many cars you sell its how much money you’ve made.

By: GMnumberone4ever

GMnumberone4ever — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 22:02:56 +0000

We will continue to crush to competition.

By: AL

AL — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 16:04:58 +0000

Anyone who thinks the US government is going to let GM (or Ford for that matter) go down the pipes is delusional. There are many factors at play to prop up or assist US corporations behind the scenes – that we will NEVER hear about or read on a website.

The arrogance and misinformed opinions that exist because we all follow “car stuff” is hilarious.

Assessment-wise, GM has always been in a much better cash position than Ford, and has a much better ability to reverse its fortunes – this is showing up a bit now. But don’t give either of these companies the send off yet!

By: The Stig

The Stig — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 07:45:23 +0000

Ford should fire Mark Fields for the piss-poor performance he’s achieved thus far.

By: europerspective

europerspective — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 05:51:59 +0000

Togo,
Why would I take a look at the top 20 selling vehicles in the US? Why would I give a **** what the illiterati are buying? My point is that, this is supposedly a forum for car enthusiasts, but it often reads more like a wannabe automotive sector analysts’ forum.
Of course every company self-promotes, and every intelligent observer can see right through it, in this case I mentioned GM because I am responding to Nowei’s comment.

By: GMnumberone4ever

GMnumberone4ever — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 02:52:04 +0000

Whoo Hoo! We are the CHAMPIONS!

By: Richard

Richard — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 00:55:06 +0000

deantj wrote “Why don’t some of you go f–k yourselves?”

It’s going be alright. All is not lost. GM will have some bad months in the future. It can’t win ‘em all. Have yourself a glass of warm milk and go to bed. Tomorrow is another day.

By: Togo

Togo — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 20:36:10 +0000

europerspective,

Take a look at the top 20 selling vehicles in the us and tell me any of them are enthusiast cars. Cars that are good appliances sell well. these aren’t companies that support a racing habit by selling cars.

As for self promotion, every company does it.

They spin eveything, everyone does.. like toyota attributing their abysmal tundra sales to them being slow to get the product out (see autonews today). Fact is GM had a great month, moreso than “analysts” predicted. Congrats to them for lowering dependance on rental sales and still coming out ahead. The same analysts that predicted Honda could see gains of 18% in february, and the same analysts that swear up and down they will sell 200,000 tundras this year.

By: europerspective

europerspective — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 19:50:08 +0000

I’m with you Nowei, I’m not so bothered about GM’s stock-enchancing self-promotion, but what does bewilder me is the importance that so many car enthusiasts attach to sales performance and financial activities of the companies that build them.

TVR are broke and all but disappeared, but the T350C is still a great car. Alfa Romeo have been financial basket cases for as long as I can remember, but they always have a range that causes inappropriate stirrings. GM could be the best performing company in the world and I would still wonder what an enthusiast would find interesting about their cars.

By: nowei

nowei — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 18:01:08 +0000

I’m willing to concede that I attributed the quote incorrectly.

However, my point is that it was GM that said they have “the winning formula – the best products, industry-leading fuel economy and the best value.”

So yeah, GM said that GM has reached the promised land. That’s what I take issue with.

I do congratulate them on beginning to improve, but they’re still a ways away from “the winning formula.”

By: Togo

Togo — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 16:43:07 +0000

lol bull look at what brand of cars are starteing to pollute rental lots..

New customers lmao…

By: Togo

Togo — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 16:38:59 +0000

sorry to use facts on you lamborghini aids victim..

Total truck market was up 4.5%

Chev Silverado 58,696 (+26.54%)
Ford F series 55,251 (-12.11%)
Dodge Ram 28,633 (-4.20%)
GMC Sierra 18,140 (+22.68%)
Toyota Tundra 9,669 (-8.49%)
Nissan Titan 6,058 (-13.52%)

as an aside, Avalanche sales were up over 100% 5,514 units

You tell me they didn’t monopolize the market share last month.. You tell me they didn’t steal sales when all manufacturers were down, even your vaunted imports.. the FUDGELINE was down something like 17% last month FYI..

So yeah sorry looks like they are snatching up marketshare in the truck section, Chevy alone beat f series last month. That says something. Sorry you hate the domestics.

By: Richard

Richard — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 16:35:05 +0000

nowei wrote “…. Furthermore, as Samuel Clemens said, “there are lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Sure, GM doesn’t offer the most in incentives. They only offer more than double what the nearest Japanese manufacturer offers. Not like Chrysler, which offers more than triple what Honda is offering. …”

The quote is properly attributed to 19th Century British politician Benjamin Disraeli. To the point, you are overracting. Nobody said that GM has reached the Promised Land. GM is in a long tough struggle with many internal and external challenges. Among these are several very skilled offshore competitors. GM has a plan to battle meet its challenges. Its February 2007 figures are a snapshot on the progress of its plan. A 3.4% increase is a good thing and that is better than a bad thing.

By: Bull09

Bull09 — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 05:27:26 +0000

A 3.4% sales increase for a company that sells nearly 200k more vehicles in the first 2 months of the year than it’s closest competitor is actually pretty impressive if you ask me… I mean no it wouldn’t be all that impressive if they went from 100 vehicles sold to 103… but understand the nature of the statistics in hand.

Looking head to head – GM had roughly 10,000 new sales growth while Toyota increased unit sales by rougly 20,000… so Toyota attracted new buyers on a 2:1 margin… I think we should applaude both companies for posting those types of increases when the industry as whole was down.

By: nowei

nowei — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 04:21:47 +0000

I can most likely be put in the “GM Haters” category, but this response from GM is a perfect example of why that is. It’s not that I hate America or think that American companies are incapable of building good products, it’s the sheer smugness and complacency they’re constantly displaying. A 3.4% sales increase and the way GM choose to interpret this is, “Yeah, we’re the best car manufacturer in the world.” Even the most fervent GM supporter has to admit that despite this success, GM is still not out of the woods. It would just be nice if GM could admit that.

Furthermore, as Samuel Clemens said, “there are lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Sure, GM doesn’t offer the most in incentives. They only offer more than double what the nearest Japanese manufacturer offers. Not like Chrysler, which offers more than triple what Honda is offering. That’s probably why Chrysler (if you also count Mercedes) has become the third sales leader in the automotive industry, and therefore the third best car manufacturer in the world. BMW is eighth best and better than VW/Audi at ninth best, but neither are as good as Hyundai/Kia at seventh. And don’t even think about buying a Porsche (14th). What you really want is a Suzuki (13th).

By: Jazz

Jazz — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 03:31:16 +0000

The numbers are very misleading. THe year to date numbers tell a different story

By: toyota#1forever

toyota#1forever — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 03:23:22 +0000

Yes, sales go up when you put huge incentives on your cars and sell them for thousands under MSRP, it also causes them to lose money on the vehicles they do sell.

Comment by LamborghiniZ, posted on March1 at 3:22 pm

you’re always willing to find the cloud in the silver lining. if this were toyota it would be because of superior product and inovation. idiot.

By: TOZO

TOZO — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 02:23:55 +0000

Breaking the numbers down by car company, when you rank sales this year so far, Toyota has slipped behind DaimerChrysler (with Mercedes sales added in) again!

Rank/ Company/ February/ Jan&Feb/
1 General Motors 311,763 559,227
2 Ford 211,150 377,985
3 DaimlerChrysler 191,810 365,187
4 Toyota 187,330 363,180
5 Honda 110,026 210,816
6 Nissan 85,218 167,862
7 Hyundai/Kia 58,012 108,257
8 BMW 24,642 46,453
9 VW/Audi 22,976 45,985
10 Mazda 22,067 41,332
11 Subaru 12,875 24,949
12 Mitsubishi 9,726 19,109
13 Suzuki 8,585 16,764
14 Porsche 1,967 4,951
15 Isuzu 559 1,059
Total 1,254,307 2,344,585

By: TOZO

TOZO — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 01:57:40 +0000

GM did sell new Oldsmobiles last year until February 2006, which was the last month when they sold the remaining Oldsmobiles.

By: Richard

Richard — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 01:52:15 +0000

LamborghiniZ wrote “Yes, sales go up when you put huge incentives on your cars and sell them for thousands under MSRP, it also causes them to lose money on the vehicles they do sell.”

This would be an excellent point if it were true. Of the six largest sellers of vehicles in North America, GM is No. 3 in incentives. The list for February 2007 is as follows:

Manufacturer Incentives
Chrysler Group $3,526
Ford $3,084
GM $2,693
Honda $1,059
Nissan $1,699
Toyota $1,041

http://www.autoobserver.com/2007/03/edmunds_incenti.html#more

By: PrimeGTP

PrimeGTP — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 01:06:20 +0000

Haha, the irrational GM hate continues.

By: Supercharged_

Supercharged_ — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 00:22:01 +0000

Thank goodness GM came out with a very good pickup truck, it is really going to help with sales

By: dmbpearl

dmbpearl — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 23:50:23 +0000

I’ve been reading these negative comments by GM haters (or is it Japanese car lovers) for over a year now. Every month they try to explain how terrible it is over at GM and every month things get better and better (cough, cough, car and truck of the year). And if they really paid attention to the product line coming out over the next two years they’d really start crying. So, just let these Lexus drivers keep justifying why they hate this country and drive that peice of crap. I’ll keep driving my 1994 Mustang that has over 200,000 miles on it or my new STS, thank you very much. Oh, and I’ll keep enjoying my GM stock which has jumped from $20.20 a share to well over $30 in less than a year.

By: MHW

MHW — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 23:35:18 +0000

Get over it guys, GM’s increase came from retail sales, fleets were cut 18%. Wheather you like it or not GM is coming out with some good product and people are starting to take notice.

By: Stuart

Stuart — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 23:33:51 +0000

One day watch, the day will come when the japanese cry about how China has lower currency then them and taking their market share putting them in the toilets with the domestics.

By: nowei

nowei — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 23:12:13 +0000

trucks did seem to make up a large part of this, and is that really surprising considering the trucks in question are all-new?

Plus, while a 3.4% increase in sales is a positive, I hardly think it justifies this quote:

“Our pickup, SUV and crossover business was terrific across the board. Our customers are telling us that we have the winning formula – the best products, industry-leading fuel economy and the best value,” said Mark LaNeve, vice president, GM North American Sales, Service and Marketing.

By: Pauly

Pauly — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 23:01:15 +0000

I’m glad for GM and hopefully Ford can turn it around. The Japanese companies are undoubtably doing well, but it’s not exactly an equal playing field. Right now because of the weak yen Honda can sell a Civic that would normally sell for $22,000 if the currencies were fair for $18,000. I know that a lot of Camrys and Corrollas are built in the U.S. but they don’t have the legacy costs (and they still build half of their models in Asia) so Toyota can put millions more in product investment than Ford and GM. It’s really sad when Ford can’t afford to bring over the European Focus in large part because the Japanese are cheating.

By: pherarey

pherarey — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 22:43:04 +0000

grow up guys

By: max

max — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 22:31:32 +0000

LamborghiniZ-
What are you talking about. The trucks didn’t do all of the gain. Saturn is up 54% over last Feburary. The Saturn Vue is up around 45%. This is the last model year for the current body style. Plus, it isn’t a fuel hog SUV like the Tahoe. Read the facts closer next time before you go spewing your import bias, it might not make you look like such an idoit.

By: LamborghiniZ

LamborghiniZ — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 22:23:11 +0000

Togo: They’re not “snatching” a good portion of jack****, GM always does well w/ the truck market, but guess what, having your entire money making strategy focusing on full size trucks may have worked in the 90’s, but these days it sure as hell isn’t worth much at all, they need to focus on cars, not “interim truck leading sales”

By: Syrax

Syrax — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 21:46:52 +0000

revealed the real identity of GM#1!

By: Togo

Togo — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 21:32:11 +0000

ca a holic – you’re right on themoney.

Ford is in peril.. Truck sales in the **** hopper. engine supply issues for the super duties. Production & delivery issues with the edge. Loss of taurus sales – uninspiring focus, SUV sales plummeting..

By: car-a-holic

car-a-holic — Thu, 01 Mar 2007 21:28:28 +0000

yeah…they are certainly not in the clear. They still have quite a bit of overlapping product, brand differentiation to complete and garbage product to throw away. They do have however some good formulas out there. its not too late to rehab Pontiac and Buick.
Chrysler is having family problems, you know how a divorce can lead to work distraction.
Ford is the deepest of ****. I hope they brought snorkel gear..Because the ****ty losses hanging over them are goona dump more before its over.