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GM expects 'modest' U.S. market share gains in 2013, Akerson says

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#1 · (Edited)
GM expects 'modest' U.S. market share gains in 2013, Akerson says
Automotive News
January 9, 2013
by Mike Colias

General Motors CEO Dan Akerson expects GM to make "modest" market share gains in the United States this year, driven by the momentum of a busy launch schedule.

Last year, GM's U.S. market share fell to 17.9 percent, from 19.6 percent in 2011, its lowest level since the 1920s. GM gained a half point in market share in 2011 over 2010 for its first gain in a decade.

GM's 4 percent sales growth in 2012 trailed the market's 13 percent growth, as Japanese competitors stormed back after the disruption from the March 2011 earthquake in Japan.

Akerson called GM's market share gains in 2011 "an anomaly" and said he knew that GM's U.S. market share would decline last year because of a rebound by Japanese rivals. He said that GM has been hamstrung by having the oldest products in the United States, a hangover effect from its 2009 bankruptcy.

Akerson described GM as "a competent, capable" and "very dynamic competitor" in the United States. He cited the planned second-quarter launch of GM's redesigned full-sized pickups, strong early sales of the Cadillac XTS large sedan and ATS compact and the launch next month of the Buick Encore small crossover as growth drivers.

"I think there will be a lot of people worried about us, as much as I'm worried about specific competitors that we meet in the marketplace."

Full article at link.
 
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#2 ·
I'm expecting GM to pick up 1-1.5% market share this calendar year, to be backed up by another possible .5-1% in 2014.

The new pick ups are obviously going to be the major catalyst for GM this year. As mentioned in the article, the Encore should play a nice role in building Buick's share along with the Verano, which has been a hit and should continue to gain momentum. ATS & XTS should continue to gain traction in the marketplace, with a new CTS on the horizon. The Lambdas should be in full inventory now after launching with their MCE's and should be ready to regain a little ground they've lost over the past two years. Impala may add a small boost to Chevrolet, but the Malibu needs some serious advertising behind it. (They should advertise both models together, actually).

2014 should see the new truck based SUV's hit the market. The current models are beyond stale and sales are slipping. The new SUV models, along with MCE's of the Cruze, Malibu, Volt and LaCrosse should help GM gain the extra share in 2014... The ELR will be icing on the cake...:)
 
#8 ·
Of all posts ,yours makes the most sense. We will just have to see. The most important factor will continue to be the financial condition, and the perception of the economy by, middle America. In our area, the middle class are being ,for the most part very cautious when making decisions about large purchases.
I feel we have the product. We have great product. We just need a more stable market, and that is just not there yet. In 2013 we will be nearing the 5 year mark, that some have said, is the bare minimum for any recovery. So with the elections over, the so called "cliff" bridged , perhaps we will see families replacing aging units.

I am going to throw in that I know some may post that "XYZ imports increased yada yada in 2012, so GM sucks" The increases by the Japanese are slanted by the shut downs caused by the Tsunami,
 
#4 ·
I think this prediction will bite him in the ass. With two new high volume models launching (Impala and Silverado), I expect it will likely cause a loss in market share due to changeover/ramp up time. Now in 2014 this should reverse and grow share, but new models tend to hurt volume due to launch issues.
 
#5 ·
I honestly don't see much that will move market share up other than price cuts.

The Malibu is virtually a flop, the Impala is not going to sell big numbers, the new pick-ups are nothing special and Cadillac does not have the volumes to move the needle.

I wish I could be more positive but I'm not. I'm sure GM will do fine but I don't see much to get excited about.
 
#7 ·
I (like a lot of folks, I'd think) had the hope that after GM slaughtered Saturn, Saab, Pontiac and Hummer that they'd become a more focused company. They'd come up with some clear divisional branding and get some of their mojo back.

But it sounds like they are still fairly rudderless and drifting along hoping for better days ahead. GM has proven it can do some great things and build some great cars - but they don't look like a company going places and they sure don't look like they have a real plan.

Hyundai-Kia looks like a company with a plan, a direction and (lying nonwithstanding) the drive to go get some. Chrysler looks hungry. GM, not so much...
 
#9 ·
I see more "up side" in 14-15 window then this year as
A I believe we do not see the new trucks till sept and
B that will be limited availability and will deep discounts on "OLD IRON" be used fore a temp "burp"
C I worry a lot of the non die hard GM truck fans will dismiss the new ones as old ones MCE'd at best as even the engines are the same size unless there is some
number to advertise IMHO the advertising will have a time to get people into the show rooms to even look
D the Encore IMHO in the first year I do not think will pull big numbers as awareness will be low EX as it is a new segment
E the VETTE and ELR are low volume by design
F Diesel cruze is also low volume at least at launch as most NON VW buyers IMHO do not understand Diesels and think KenWorth
 
#10 ·
Might be able to hit those growth numbers if they would just ADVERTISE! They could generate alot of intrest if they would hype the product reveals starting with the Corvette and the Chevrolet SS, then the two mystery products coming soon. Start talking about the Cruze Diesel alot more. The new tag line with some countdowns or something for the new products should already be in print and on TV. Could have started with the trucks, but they missed that.
 
#11 ·
I predict we will soon see articles asking if GM has finally gotten its mojo back, and the answer will be "maybe" as it successfully launches its most profitable vehicles. You will be able to sense it when you see or hear their enthusiasm. And after they get rid of that turkey, Lt Coke-Can Dan, the Blusterman.
 
#13 ·
And after they get rid of that turkey, Lt Coke-Can Dan, the Blusterman.
What makes Dan Akerson a "turkey" and "Blusterman"? As discussed in another thread here on GM Inside News, organizationally GM is still quite dysfunctional. Mr. Akerson is working earnestly to at least keep GM stable. It would not be an exaggeration to say Akerson's job is among the toughest at any large, multinational firm.

How would getting rid of Akerson benefit GM at this juncture?
 
#24 ·
No it will not but the rapidly rising ATP, and profitability will mean that the Impala will no longer need to be given away to anyone with a penchant for rental cars.
 
#16 ·
I think GM will have a challenge in maintaining where they are now. A more expensive Impala is replacing a rental queen, the new trucks will also be more expensive and don't appear to be changed enough to attract a lot of new customers. the Cruze is getting long in tooth with the diesel engine will barely make a blip on the sales chart and the SS will be a very rare find in the US.
 
#18 ·
Just because the Impala is a new more expensive auto does not mean it will not sell. The Cruze is a more expensive offering than Cobalt and people have been buying it without rebates. The $500 cust on it is ,if memory serves, the first. To call the Cruze "long in tooth is " hyperbole. The car is only 2 years old and still stylish with a refreshening on the way. As far as the Deisel and SS, they are meant to be niche.
The trucks are meant to be evolutionary.
 
#19 ·
What kind of emo-kid article is this?
GM is going to flat out pound the competition.

The Camry and Accord are both running for cover from the world-class Malibu.
The Sonic is the only compact vehicle made in the USA and it it includes alloy rims in base trim.
GM no longer imports any vehicles from Korea with non-fantastically-sized headlights.
The 2013 trucks sport an entirely-fresh new look, and offer best-in-class gas mileage and power.
The Buick Regal is the fastest selling German midsize sedan now made in Canada.
GM has the most able leadership, especially for vehicle introductions,
of any domestic vehicle manufacturer formerly in bankruptcy not owned by Fiat.

Yes, GM is clearly the force to be reckoned with in 2013.
 
#20 ·
We will find out in 353 days where they stand. In the meantime maybe our CIA can turn on the weather machine again and cause another tsunami in the pacific to affect japan and korea, and some sort of storm in europe to shut down the germans. Then I think we could get back some market share.
 
#22 ·
What I am really interested to see is what everyones retail sales market share is, total market share can be boosted by fleet sales. I know that GM shrunk its fleet sales this year (at least percentage wise), I would guess that while they lost total market share their retail market share stayed about the same.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Arkensons greatest misstep has been the Malibu, but he was quick to call it back for a fix. Please, please make it longer.

I saw the impala in person, and its going to shock any Lexus ES, Avalon and Azera Buyers. Its got serious presence. I might get one once my lease is over.

Its a big car, with big wheels and looks Expensive. Its also got very very proper lines, looks almost coupe like.
 
#26 ·
I honestly do not think that the Malibu needs to be bigger, its biggest problem isn't the size its the fuel economy. The space has been way blown out of scale and has gotten so much focus that its the only thing that people can seemingly focus on.

It just seems like some cars get a bad reputation early on for really no good reason, now it doesn't matter what they do to change the new Malibu now. It has already gotten a bad reputation (and really for no reason) which will stick with it. The Toyota Camry is just bad and yet besides some early criticism it gets ignored now.
 
#27 ·
We are certain that the launch of the reskinned old pickup will not succeed. Past history already proves that when this was done before, there was no noticeable sales increase.

We know that any new products introduced will steal sales from existing cars.

We know that any new product introduced now will have precisely 12 months of sales momentum and then the product will tank.

We know now that Government Motors is no more committed to excellence and building world class products than the company that was thrown into bankruptcy.

We know these things to be self-evident - this is the company of the blue square. It no longer cares to build anything other than what is easiest. Details aren't its business. Deception is.
 
#28 · (Edited)
That's a nice track record, GM.

Year - GM - Ford - Chrysler Total American Motors
1965 49.6% 26.8% 14.3% 93.7% 3.0%
1970 38.9% 28.3% 14.9% 84.6% 2.5%
1980 44.2% 20.5% 09.1% 75.8% 2.0%
1990 35.2% 23.8% 12.0% 71.0% --
2000 28.0% 22.6% 14.2% 64.8% --
2009 19.6% 15.3% 08.8% 43.7% --
2011 19.2% 16.5% 10.5% 46.2% --
2012 17,9%

Detroit has already the Japanese and the Koreans to be worried about. Within two-three years the Chinese will undoubtedly join that club. Here is an interesting article how the Germans are doing: http://www.forbes.com/sites/frederi...-while-paying-its-auto-workers-twice-as-much/ Their combined over $40 billion 2011 profit will undoubtedly be exceeded by last year's profit.

The lamest excuse I heard so far was that it is good that GM no longer concentrates on being the #1 automaker. Has this been replaced by something else that would throw more perspective? Long-term vision? Competitiveness? Innovation?... I don't think so. But noticing the usual "no comment" here (I mentioned this a couple of times before over the years) I assume that GM does not care because American consumers and autoworkers don't really care.

I also noticed censorship here. My "China passed Europa in car making" with some disturbing statistics about the American car industry as well has been made unavailable. What about, for instance, the fact that four out of the top five cars sold in the U.S. are from foreign brands?

Is the bottom in sight? Think again. Read what Michel Taride, President at Hertz Corp., has to say: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20671090
 
#30 ·
That's a nice track record, GM.

Year - GM - Ford - Chrysler Total American Motors
1965 49.6% 26.8% 14.3% 93.7% 3.0%
1970 38.9% 28.3% 14.9% 84.6% 2.5%
1980 44.2% 20.5% 09.1% 75.8% 2.0%
1990 35.2% 23.8% 12.0% 71.0% --
2000 28.0% 22.6% 14.2% 64.8% --
2009 19.6% 15.3% 08.8% 43.7% --
2011 19.2% 16.5% 10.5% 46.2% --
2012 17,9%

Detroit has already the Japanese and the Koreans to be worried about. Within two-three years the Chinese will undoubtedly join that club. Here is an interesting article how the Germans are doing: http://www.forbes.com/sites/frederi...-while-paying-its-auto-workers-twice-as-much/ Their combined over $40 billion 2011 profit will undoubtedly be exceeded by last year's profit.

The lamest excuse I heard so far was that it is good that GM no longer concentrates on being the #1 automaker. Has this been replaced by something else that would throw more perspective? Long-term vision? Competitiveness? Innovation?... I don't think so. But noticing the usual "no comment" here (I mentioned this a couple of times before over the years) I assume that GM does not care because American consumers and autoworkers don't really care. I also noticed censorship here. My "China passed Europa in car making" with some disturbing statistics about the American car industry as well has been made unavailable. What about, for instance, the fact that four out of the top five cars sold in the U.S. are from foreign brands?
They've replaced it with profit. I'm sure that has been discussed, maybe you only see what you want to see.
 
#32 ·
Hmmm... That's interesting, John. I would've figured the XTS would be plentiful in the Sunshine State... Goes to show, you never know!

The XTS has been plentiful here in South Jersey from early on, which was a little surprising to me as Cadillac's STS & DTS models sales plummeted precipitously this past decade around here. Though the lots are filled with ATS models, it's still a rare bird to see in the wild here... But I think that will change as the 3 Series and its competitors all sell well here in suburban Philadelphia.
 
#36 ·
What will it take for Akerson to be unceremoniously shown the front door of the Renaissance Center?
 
#43 ·
I don't disagree completely, but I think these trends apply to large cities mainly, not to smaller cities, not to suburbs, not to exurbs, not to country areas. Those areas are not served by the Tube, Metro, Underground and the like.
I do foresee Zipcars doing well and the average family having fewer vehicles than in the recent past.
 
#44 ·
The Impala will be a failure at Taurus volume, and truthfully success is a number I believe to be not utterly divergent from Dodge Charger/ Chrysler 300 combined volume.
 
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