Sedans were supposed to be a dying breed in American showrooms, but like minivans, they just keep on keeping on. Toyota sold well over 600,000 Camrys and Corollas (combined), GM sold over 140,000 Malibus, and Dodge sold nearly a hundred thousand Chargers—two hundred thousand of their big cars, if you throw in the 300 and Challenger. […]
2019 was an interesting year for the auto industry in the United States; for the most part, sales numbers kept pace with 2018, but there were major shifts from cars to crossovers and pickups, and the most successful cars (Camry, Corolla, and Civic) were loaded up with features—given invisible incentives, really. GM came close to […]
Customers usually don’t talk to the mechanics (or technicians) who work on their cars; they talk to people dubbed “service advisors,” who seem like managers but are really just interfaces between customers, the techs, and, often, the company that made your car. (Why would they talk to the automaker? Because the service advisor is responsible […]
GM shares shot up today, after the company announced, in a morning conference call, profits of $2.3 billion in the past quarter, good for a 38¢ per share dividend. GM Financial had earnings before taxes of $700 million. Gross revenue was $35.5 billion. Automotive operating cash flow for the quarter was $5 billion, double the […]
GM stocked up on cars and parts before going into negotiations with the UAW, readying themselves for the long haul. Now, the company is starting to make concessions—one of which may affect its chief American competitor more than itself. That one is health benefits. GM had tried to raise hourly workers’ share of medical insurance […]
The GM strike isn’t hurting sales so far, if we can generalize from the company’s U.S. sales over the last quarter. GM had a gain of 6.2%, while Ford fell 5.1% and FCA stayed just about the same. Not surprisingly, GM kept its lead over Ford, with sales of 737,270 for the quarter vs Ford’s […]
Over the past months, GM has boosted its inventory so it could be tough with the United Auto Workers union. The UAW is demanding a greater share of GM’s good fortune, and the maintenance of three plants which GM wants to close (or has closed); and GM wants the UAW to pick up a much […]