GeneralMotors posts
FeedPosted Sep 21st 2009 5:00PM by Michael Fowlkes (RSS feed)
Filed under: Forecasts, Good news, Products and services, Management, Competitive strategy, Marketing and advertising, Recession, Financial Crisis

The past couple of months there has been a lot of news over the government's recent "cash for clunkers" program, which was wildly more successful than anyone could have imagined, but left dealer lots short on inventory. General Motors dealers are still dealing with low inventory and have
requested more cars to meet recent demand.
According to the Detroit News, General Motors dealers have requested that the company ship as much as
four times as many cars as the company had planned to build in October.
Continue reading GM dealers want more cars
Posted Aug 25th 2009 3:00PM by Zac Bissonnette (RSS feed)
Filed under: Industry, General Motors (GM)

Now that Cash For Clunkers is over, the auto industry has a problem: Where will car sales come from now?
Everyone who had an old car and wanted a new one took advantage of the Cash For Clunkers plan -- who is going to go buy a new car the day after the government stopped paying people $4,500 to buy cars?
J.D. Power and Associates reduced its 2010 sales forecast to 11.5 million units from 11.6 million -- citing the impact of Cash For Clunkers. In other words, a big part of what Cash For Clunkers did was borrow sales from the future and front-load them, and now there's nowhere to go for car sales now.
Continue reading With Cash for Clunkers gone, where does the auto industry go now?
Posted Aug 18th 2009 5:10PM by Michael Fowlkes (RSS feed)
Filed under: International markets, Forecasts, Good news, Products and services, Management, Consumer experience, Ford Motor (F), General Motors (GM), Employees, Market matters, Money and Finance Today, Canada, Workspace, Politics, Recession, Financial Crisis

The government's "cash for clunkers" has been far more popular than anyone thought, prompting
General Motors to boost production at several factories to keep up with demand.
While not everyone is so convinced that the "cash for clunkers" program is good for the economy, there is no doubt that the big American car makers are enjoying the benefits. Five days ago I wrote about the decision by
Ford Motor Company (NYSE:
F) to
boost production by 15% above its prior estimates, and today General Motors announced it will raising output and bringing back employees that it had been forced to lay off.
Continue reading General Motors to boost output
Posted Aug 13th 2009 3:20PM by Michael Fowlkes (RSS feed)
Filed under: Forecasts, Good news, Products and services, Industry, Consumer experience, Ford Motor (F), General Motors (GM), Money and Finance Today, Financial Crisis

With so many people rushing out to take advantage of the "cash for clunkers" program, American auto maker
Ford Motor (NYSE:
F) has announced that it will be
significantly boosting fourth quarter production.
There has been a lot of debate over whether or not the "cash for clunkers" program is good for the economy, but there is little debate as to its popularity. The program offers up to a $4,500 incentive for people exchanging their old gas guzzlers in for newer, more fuel efficient vehicles, and has been much more popular than anyone could have imagined.
Continue reading Ford boosts fourth quarter production
Posted Jul 29th 2009 3:40PM by Zac Bissonnette (RSS feed)
Back in August of 2008, General Motors pulled out of car leasing altogether, citing slumping demand, declining resale values, and financing problems. Now the company, in partnership with GMAC, is planning to reenter the leasing market on August 1st of this year.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the final plan is still being worked out, but the Cadillac CTS, "which competes in a luxury market that is heavily dependent on the availability of lease deals," is likely to be among the models included in the leasing line-up.
Continue reading General Motors goes back to car leasing: A sad day for consumers
Posted Jul 23rd 2009 9:00AM by Zac Bissonnette (RSS feed)
Filed under: General Motors (GM)

The United States taxpayers will be tossing an average of $462,000 to every General Motors dealership that will be shut down as part of the company's reorganization plan. In all, GM will spend $600 million paying off dealers who are being closed as the company continues its drive toward a more efficient operation.
GM spokesman Greg Martin told (subscription required) the
Wall Street Journal that "GM developed a unique wind-down process that we believe is considerably more favorable to dealers" than what they would have received in an ordinary bankruptcy situation.
Continue reading General Motors pays off shutdown dealerships
Posted Jul 21st 2009 2:40PM by Zac Bissonnette (RSS feed)
Filed under: General Motors (GM)
UPDATE: This post inadvertently linked to a "Tell Fritz" website that is NOT the official site and is not connected with GM. For the real Tell Fritz feature, check out GMReinvention.com.General Motors CEO Fritz Henderson and his PR corps have managed to drum up quite a bit of press for his allegedly new, more transparent, consumer-friendly approach to running a car company.
The Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required) that "Mr. Henderson is planning various ways to remain the face of GM's turnaround effort, including a consistent string of media interviews and monthly national road shows starting in August, during which he plans to meet with dealers and interact with customers."
Tell Fritz is a new Twitter-like blog format where consumers can interact with the top man at GM. Someone hysterically, it's even equipped with Google Ads for companies like Fritz Hansen Furniture and Fritz the Schnauzer -- Multiple streams of income, here GM comes!
Continue reading WSJ gives GM more generous coverage
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