The automaker reported U.S. December sales of 234,351 vehicles. Retail sales rose 2% and accounted for 81% of sales. While Chevrolet sales rose 9%, to 161,158, sales of the three other brands declined: Buick fell 12%, Cadillac fell 3% and GMC fell 0.5%.
At Chevrolet, Malibu sales rose 13%, to 13,034, while Silverado sales rose 12% to 47,787 and Suburban sales rose 39%, to 5,930. Overall sales of trucks, vans and SUVs rose 13%, while passenger car sales rose 12% and crossover sales fell 14%. The Volt had its best month ever, with sales of more than 1,500 units.
For the full year, GM sales rose 14%, to more than 2.5 million vehicles, and GM gained market share.
The Volt had its best month ever, with sales of more than 1,500 units.
I passed a Volt on I57 on Christmas day. I was driving about 80, the volt was cruising about 70, and then a Cruze blew by me like I was sitting still. That dude had to be driving 100+mph. I don't think he was getting anywhere near 40mpg;)
my quick check panned out to match the TCO data. Only a 2006 Impala LS model with 81,500 miles showed up for $12,800 as nearby Impalas for sale. 6 yrs old, between 75 and 90k miles, only an LS, not an LT that the TCO data was for. TCO would have a 5 yr old LT at $12,500, so this dealer is asking for more than TCO gives as end value at 5 yrs. Not the 300 HP DI engine either.
see a 69k mile $15k Accord. An '08 LX, 4 yrs old, 60-75k mi. Can't tell if it is a V6 or auto trans though. lists 0-60 as 7.9 secs, so probably the V6.
What are they thinking? The car doesn't fit a Buick image and its kind of dorky looking like the Lexus CT CUV. Buick puts out a really nice looking Enclave and then follows with this goofy thing.
You would think after bankruptcy that GM/Buick would have learned something. Small CUV maybe just like that goofy looking sedan, just smaller than the Regal, that they are coming out with.
I don't think an Impala is awful. It makes a good second car, or one for your teenagers if you can get a former Hertz type rental for around $12K or less - kind of like the Taurus used to be.
Toyota can't use the excuse that a domestic supplier (Dana) made the frames prone to rust, or that CTS (also domestic) made those accelerator pedals here in the USA, etc.
I've always advised both myself and others when buying a Japanese car to seek out one where the VIN starts with a J as it will be superior to the one's that start with a 1. (better to be made in Japan vs. USA).
It would be interesting if Dana supplied frames for trucks made in Japan, or only the one's in the USA? How about CTS, were there accelerator assemblies used for Japanese made vehicles?
The last two Civics we've purchased for my wife have been sought out for that J as the first digit of the VIN, and we've been happy with the results. Not sure if any Toyota trucks are imported, or Camry's for that matter, but imported Civics aren't too hard to find.
'21 BMW X3 M40i, '15 Audi S4, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
Only a 2006 Impala LS model with 81,500 miles showed up for $12,800 as nearby Impalas for sale.
It must be a regional thing then. Here in the NE I can find hundreds of late model Impalas within a few hundred miles, just like my previous links. I guess if you want an Impala, hop on a plane to NYC or Boston and drive it home; you'll save thousands.
I don't think an Impala is awful. It makes a good second car, or one for your teenagers if you can get a former Hertz type rental for around $12K or less - kind of like the Taurus used to be.
We bought our high-school age daughter an '08 PT Cruiser with 46K miles in August 2010 for $6,930.00. Made in Mexico in June or July '08 (can't remember now), but I figured since it was used, the damage was already done (LOL)! It's been a good car for that kind of money, although I've since learned that even if a former rental car has a clean Carfax, that doesn't mean it hasn't been in an accident as most rental car companies are self-insured and do their own repairs. I've seen one or two small things that make me think ours might have been in a crunch, but can't tell for sure.
I'll tell you, our Cobalt runs silky-smooth in comparison, though. But the PT is roomy, reliable so far, and the hatch is good for carrying her cello.
2024 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray 2LT; 2019 Chevrolet Equinox LT; 2015 Chevrolet Cruze LS
Here's another fine example, of a lightly used, fully certified-warranty Impala. That's asking-price. What do you think you could get it for after some haggling?
then the data came in and it was worse than average.
The 07 Camry V6 got the v1.0 of the U660E 6EAT transmission. Early owners complained of hunting but a reflash addressed that complaint, and reliability improved. "Trans - Minor" is now average and "Trans - Major" is actually better than average, per p.206 CR Buying Guide 2012.
Not unlike the early Lambdas. Same thing happened, GM reflashed the trans computer, and the fix worked. Reliability quickly improved.
Not exactly the big deal that people make it out to be.
I'll go on record and disagree. I like the Encore.
It's handsome and small, ready to compete with other handsome/small entry-luxury crossovers, like the Q5 and XC60. The segment is red hot, and it fits right in.
The only thing I don't like is that there isn't a window behind the C-pillar, so I'd be a little concerned about the blind spot that creates. The green house sort of reminds me of the Pontiac Vibe's.
It was imposed on potato starch, dextrin, brandy and light trucks in retaliation for West Germany and France imposing tarrifs and price controls on and the Netherlands banning chicken imported from the United States.
It worked - VW pickups and vans virtually disappeared from America and Europeans stopped importing American chickens. AFAIK, the tariff is still in place on chickens.
Truck makers can get around the tariff by importing knock down kits or cab chassis only. Ford imports the Transit Connect as a "car" with windows and seats and converts them to "light trucks" in Baltimore.
For instance, the Sonic may still turn out to be very reliable. All the haters will remember is the missing brake pads. It makes for a good headline.
GM can address the quality control checks to make sure it doesn't happen again, and they could just end up with a durable, reliable vehicle.
Then again, the people who are biased (towards either D3 or imports or whatever) would not be among potential buyers anyway, so it really doesn't matter.
Let's look at Sonic sales a year from today. Then we can judge how much that really mattered (or didn't).
Camry was the best-selling car in 2007, and still is today.
Even as critical as I have been on the Sonic brake issue, that alone wouldn't stop me from giving the car a good, hard look if I was interested in a car of that class.
Anything involving humans is prone to reports and mistakes... What highlights the Sonic issue is the piece that was missing. If the missing part was, say... A seat adjustment lever, a radio knob, or a missing radio speaker, there's little doubt so much would be made of it. Yet, a brake pad is an integral part of vehicle safety, and one would assume a 100 year old company could at least get the basics right 100% of the time.
Unless more snafus surface , I can't see it steering away many potential buyers.
The Sonic has had its "free shot".
Of course, if I was seriously interested in a Sonic, I would insist upon brake pad verification before exiting the dealer's lot...
hundreds of miles? for me, 200 miles radius from Indy captures milwaulkee to st louis to lexington, Ky to WVa to cleveland to detroit. There would be 1000 Impalas in that zone of 301 million square miles (R=200mi). How many with 300 HP? less than 5?
"It’s been a phenomenal turnaround for the Big Three,” Michelle Krebs, an analyst with researcher Edmunds.com, said in an interview. “Chrysler and GM have the American taxpayer to thank for that, but in the end, it’s been a good investment.”
GM’s December vehicle sales rose 4.5 percent to 234,351, topping the average 4.4 percent gain of eight estimates. Ford’s December light-vehicle deliveries rose 10 percent to 209,447, exceeding the average estimate for a 7.7 percent gain. Chrysler’s December sales jumped 37 percent to 138,019 cars and light trucks, more than the average 33 percent analyst gain. Nissan Motor Co. also exceeded estimates."
“Chrysler and GM have the American taxpayer to thank for that, but in the end, it’s been a good investment.”
If losing 16 Billion in 3 to 4 years is a good investment, I have a great 0.0% interest bearing "under the table" account for you where I can manage all of your money!
'21 BMW X3 M40i, '15 Audi S4, '16 Audi TTS, Wife's '19 VW Tiguan SEL 4-Motion
Glad to know that we're keeping American chickens working....
I'm on the side of the Encore looking pretty good. Buick's problem was not that they let the name on small cars but that those cars had nothing at all to do with what a Buick was. I give GM credit that they are now making well appointed, quiet vehicles as small Buicks. They aren't just slapping a Buick grill on an Equinox (not that there is anything wrong with an Equinox).
Hey, a PT Cruiser is a pretty good choice for a young kid with a cello.
2015 Mazda 6 Grand Touring, 2014 Mazda 3 Sport Hatchback, 1999 Mazda Miata 2004 Toyota Camry LE, 1999.
There would be 1000 Impalas in that zone of 301 million square miles (R=200mi). How many with 300 HP? less than 5?
Might wanna check your math there. The entire United States is only something like 3.2 million square miles, with Alaska being something like 586,000 square miles.
A 200 mile radius would comprise 125,664 square miles. The way they always teach you in school is to take the radius, square it, and multiply time pi, or 3.1416x200^2, which comes out to 125,664.
Or, you can just square the diameter (400) and multiply by .7854, and get the same number. That was a trick my Dad taught me. If you draw a square, and then a circle inside, the circle contains 78.54% of the area of the square.
I think the 2012 Impala with the new DI 6-cyl engine and transmission is a significant improvement. Unfortunately that may be one of the reasons, I'm seeing the 2011's and older going so cheaply.
I always thought that when GM had good engines and transmissions, and great mpg for their class. I had a 3.8L Camaro 5-spd that would get over 35mpg (pre-ethanol days) on the highway.
I had a '94 Corsica with the 3.1L and that was fairly good, though I only get it 1.5 years. I had an '00 Silverado - no major problems, though not so rugged; and I had an '01 Firebird Formula. All ran fairly well. All bought new. I used GM Card points on many of them.
If I could get by all the GM-bailout issues, would I buy a GM now based solely on product and price. Probably not. They produce mediocre vehicles for the prices they're asking. Vehicles that interest me in different categories: Jeep Wrangler, Hyundai Elantra, Ford Mustang, upcoming Ford Escape, Infiniti G37, upcoming BMW X1, upcoming Dodge Dart, Dodge Charger redline, Hyundai Genesis coupe, and Nissan Frontier - in no particular order.
After 2 F-Bodies - sorry not interested in that overweight, pillbox of a Camaro.
A reporter is looking for midsize or small car owners who switched from Honda or Toyota to Chrysler, Ford or GM. Email pr@edmunds.com by Friday, January 6, 2011 with a few words about your car choice and your experience so far.
Go to Autotrader and do a search for Chevy Volts @ "any distance". The result right now is 2,112 listings with 3,892 vehicles available.
So there's a serious disconnect (sorry for the pun) here. Are the buyers stupid and don't know how to use Autotrader or the Internet? Or is the problem that Larry, Moe and Curly are keeping the waiting-list?
50,000 potential buyers on the waiting list for the Volt???
What are they waiting for?
I don't know about you. But I would love to see a link to the background of how the info on the link was compiled...
Edit:
Here's where The 50,000 number came from. Check out the area to the right of the table on the linked page. Notice the area where you can sign up to be a Volt "supporter". Now, compare that number to the number of people on the "waiting list". The numbers are the same.
So, evidently if you sign up to show interest in a Volt you are automatically placed on the waiting-to-buy list.
Hmmm... Hardly an accurate correlation there, IMO...
50,000 potential buyers on the waiting list for the Volt???
What are they waiting for?
LOL.
Hell, I'm a potential Volt customer too, if the price is right;)
Both of my local Chevy dealers show a couple of Volts in stock, so I don't know what the waiting list is about, unless there are people wanting Volts equipped differently than what's available.
Every Volt at the 2 dealers near me list for $45k.
According to autotrader, there are 5 Volts available within 25 miles of my zip code and 28 within 50 miles.
Well, in this case, if you sign up as a member of the Volt forum in the link, you are automatically placed on the waiting list.
This "assumption" correlation is as bad as any political ploy I have seen.
It's like a political candidate saying he has 1 million supporters because he has 1 million hits on his web site, or because he sent out 1 million postcards to potential voters.
Forget $25,000 putting you on the list... Just enroll in the forum and you make the list!
Comments
At Chevrolet, Malibu sales rose 13%, to 13,034, while Silverado sales rose 12% to 47,787 and Suburban sales rose 39%, to 5,930. Overall sales of trucks, vans and SUVs rose 13%, while passenger car sales rose 12% and crossover sales fell 14%. The Volt had its best month ever, with sales of more than 1,500 units.
For the full year, GM sales rose 14%, to more than 2.5 million vehicles, and GM gained market share.
Regards,
OW
I passed a Volt on I57 on Christmas day. I was driving about 80, the volt was cruising about 70, and then a Cruze blew by me like I was sitting still. That dude had to be driving 100+mph. I don't think he was getting anywhere near 40mpg;)
Regards,
OW
6 yrs old, between 75 and 90k miles, only an LS, not an LT that the TCO data was for. TCO would have a 5 yr old LT at $12,500, so this dealer is asking for more than TCO gives as end value at 5 yrs. Not the 300 HP DI engine either.
see a 69k mile $15k Accord. An '08 LX, 4 yrs old, 60-75k mi. Can't tell if it is a V6 or auto trans though. lists 0-60 as 7.9 secs, so probably the V6.
You would think after bankruptcy that GM/Buick would have learned something. Small CUV maybe just like that goofy looking sedan, just smaller than the Regal, that they are coming out with.
I've always advised both myself and others when buying a Japanese car to seek out one where the VIN starts with a J as it will be superior to the one's that start with a 1. (better to be made in Japan vs. USA).
It would be interesting if Dana supplied frames for trucks made in Japan, or only the one's in the USA? How about CTS, were there accelerator assemblies used for Japanese made vehicles?
The last two Civics we've purchased for my wife have been sought out for that J as the first digit of the VIN, and we've been happy with the results. Not sure if any Toyota trucks are imported, or Camry's for that matter, but imported Civics aren't too hard to find.
It must be a regional thing then. Here in the NE I can find hundreds of late model Impalas within a few hundred miles, just like my previous links. I guess if you want an Impala, hop on a plane to NYC or Boston and drive it home; you'll save thousands.
We bought our high-school age daughter an '08 PT Cruiser with 46K miles in August 2010 for $6,930.00. Made in Mexico in June or July '08 (can't remember now), but I figured since it was used, the damage was already done (LOL)! It's been a good car for that kind of money, although I've since learned that even if a former rental car has a clean Carfax, that doesn't mean it hasn't been in an accident as most rental car companies are self-insured and do their own repairs. I've seen one or two small things that make me think ours might have been in a crunch, but can't tell for sure.
I'll tell you, our Cobalt runs silky-smooth in comparison, though. But the PT is roomy, reliable so far, and the hatch is good for carrying her cello.
They're lucky in that I doubt the average non-enthusiast who visits car web sites daily will even hear about that problem.
Nope - Toyota builds all of them in the US to avoid the 25% tarrif on imported small trucks.
One good, no wait, GREAT reason to inspect would be to check for missing brake pads.
http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/dda/index.jsp?dealership_view_name=loehmannbla- - - sius&address=03431&car_id=308659697&dealer_id=83512&mis_search_type=used
Dealer after dealer here in the NE are selling for these prices. This looks pretty typical.
The 07 Camry V6 got the v1.0 of the U660E 6EAT transmission. Early owners complained of hunting but a reflash addressed that complaint, and reliability improved. "Trans - Minor" is now average and "Trans - Major" is actually better than average, per p.206 CR Buying Guide 2012.
Not unlike the early Lambdas. Same thing happened, GM reflashed the trans computer, and the fix worked. Reliability quickly improved.
Not exactly the big deal that people make it out to be.
What year did that tarriff on small trucks start?
No wonder it's impossible to find a good quality small truck for a reasonable price these days. They need to AX that tariff.
It's handsome and small, ready to compete with other handsome/small entry-luxury crossovers, like the Q5 and XC60. The segment is red hot, and it fits right in.
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/03/2013-buick-encore-cubular-striptease-continue- s/
The only thing I don't like is that there isn't a window behind the C-pillar, so I'd be a little concerned about the blind spot that creates. The green house sort of reminds me of the Pontiac Vibe's.
1963. It's called the chicken tax.
It was imposed on potato starch, dextrin, brandy and light trucks in retaliation for West Germany and France imposing tarrifs and price controls on and the Netherlands banning chicken imported from the United States.
It worked - VW pickups and vans virtually disappeared from America and Europeans stopped importing American chickens. AFAIK, the tariff is still in place on chickens.
Truck makers can get around the tariff by importing knock down kits or cab chassis only. Ford imports the Transit Connect as a "car" with windows and seats and converts them to "light trucks" in Baltimore.
For instance, the Sonic may still turn out to be very reliable. All the haters will remember is the missing brake pads. It makes for a good headline.
GM can address the quality control checks to make sure it doesn't happen again, and they could just end up with a durable, reliable vehicle.
Then again, the people who are biased (towards either D3 or imports or whatever) would not be among potential buyers anyway, so it really doesn't matter.
Let's look at Sonic sales a year from today. Then we can judge how much that really mattered (or didn't).
Camry was the best-selling car in 2007, and still is today.
Anything involving humans is prone to reports and mistakes... What highlights the Sonic issue is the piece that was missing. If the missing part was, say... A seat adjustment lever, a radio knob, or a missing radio speaker, there's little doubt so much would be made of it. Yet, a brake pad is an integral part of vehicle safety, and one would assume a 100 year old company could at least get the basics right 100% of the time.
Unless more snafus surface , I can't see it steering away many potential buyers.
The Sonic has had its "free shot".
Of course, if I was seriously interested in a Sonic, I would insist upon brake pad verification before exiting the dealer's lot...
for me, 200 miles radius from Indy captures milwaulkee to st louis to lexington, Ky to WVa to cleveland to detroit. There would be 1000 Impalas in that zone of 301 million square miles (R=200mi). How many with 300 HP? less than 5?
GM’s December vehicle sales rose 4.5 percent to 234,351, topping the average 4.4 percent gain of eight estimates. Ford’s December light-vehicle deliveries rose 10 percent to 209,447, exceeding the average estimate for a 7.7 percent gain. Chrysler’s December sales jumped 37 percent to 138,019 cars and light trucks, more than the average 33 percent analyst gain. Nissan Motor Co. also exceeded estimates."
GM Leads U.S. Automakers to Secure Best Sales Year Since 2008 (Business Week)
If losing 16 Billion in 3 to 4 years is a good investment, I have a great 0.0% interest bearing "under the table" account for you where I can manage all of your money!
I'm on the side of the Encore looking pretty good. Buick's problem was not that they let the name on small cars but that those cars had nothing at all to do with what a Buick was. I give GM credit that they are now making well appointed, quiet vehicles as small Buicks. They aren't just slapping a Buick grill on an Equinox (not that there is anything wrong with an Equinox).
Hey, a PT Cruiser is a pretty good choice for a young kid with a cello.
I bet it does well.
Might wanna check your math there. The entire United States is only something like 3.2 million square miles, with Alaska being something like 586,000 square miles.
A 200 mile radius would comprise 125,664 square miles. The way they always teach you in school is to take the radius, square it, and multiply time pi, or 3.1416x200^2, which comes out to 125,664.
Or, you can just square the diameter (400) and multiply by .7854, and get the same number. That was a trick my Dad taught me. If you draw a square, and then a circle inside, the circle contains 78.54% of the area of the square.
I always thought that when GM had good engines and transmissions, and great mpg for their class. I had a 3.8L Camaro 5-spd that would get over 35mpg (pre-ethanol days) on the highway.
I had a '94 Corsica with the 3.1L and that was fairly good, though I only get it 1.5 years. I had an '00 Silverado - no major problems, though not so rugged; and I had an '01 Firebird Formula. All ran fairly well.
All bought new. I used GM Card points on many of them.
If I could get by all the GM-bailout issues, would I buy a GM now based solely on product and price. Probably not. They produce mediocre vehicles for the prices they're asking. Vehicles that interest me in different categories: Jeep Wrangler, Hyundai Elantra, Ford Mustang, upcoming Ford Escape, Infiniti G37, upcoming BMW X1, upcoming Dodge Dart, Dodge Charger redline, Hyundai Genesis coupe, and Nissan Frontier - in no particular order.
After 2 F-Bodies - sorry not interested in that overweight, pillbox of a Camaro.
5 star crash ratings are expected. If it were 4 star (from any manufacturer) I'd wonder what went wrong with their simulations?
The press release doesn't specify, but could it be that the friction material fell off, and that the base is still there???
5 stars is advertised, 4 stars isn't. I wonder why??
It would be nice to have more information. We may already have all the info we are going to get on the issue.
Unless more comes to light, it's probably time to move on..
volt wating list
Perhaps any GM will need a thorough inspection.
Regards,
OW
So there's a serious disconnect (sorry for the pun) here. Are the buyers stupid and don't know how to use Autotrader or the Internet? Or is the problem that Larry, Moe and Curly are keeping the waiting-list?
Chrysler, +1.4
Kia, +0.7
GM, +0.5
Hyundai, +0.4
VW, +0.3
Nissan, +0.3
Ford, +0.1
The biggest losers are:
Toyota, -2.3
Honda, -1.6
Volvo, +2.7
M-B, +1.2
BMW, +0.6
Buick, +0.6
Audi, +0.5
And the brands which lost most:
Lexus, -3.0
Acura, -1.3
Infiniti, -0.8
Because SaaB has been pathetic ever since GM started running them. It is hard to decline once you are already pathetic for many years.
What are they waiting for?
I don't know about you. But I would love to see a link to the background of how the info on the link was compiled...
Edit:
Here's where The 50,000 number came from. Check out the area to the right of the table on the linked page. Notice the area where you can sign up to be a Volt "supporter". Now, compare that number to the number of people on the "waiting list". The numbers are the same.
So, evidently if you sign up to show interest in a Volt you are automatically placed on the waiting-to-buy list.
Hmmm... Hardly an accurate correlation there, IMO...
What are they waiting for?
LOL.
Hell, I'm a potential Volt customer too, if the price is right;)
Both of my local Chevy dealers show a couple of Volts in stock, so I don't know what the waiting list is about, unless there are people wanting Volts equipped differently than what's available.
Every Volt at the 2 dealers near me list for $45k.
According to autotrader, there are 5 Volts available within 25 miles of my zip code and 28 within 50 miles.
I do see Volts now and then, but Leafs have to outnumber them 2:1 at least.
This "assumption" correlation is as bad as any political ploy I have seen.
It's like a political candidate saying he has 1 million supporters because he has 1 million hits on his web site, or because he sent out 1 million postcards to potential voters.
Forget $25,000 putting you on the list... Just enroll in the forum and you make the list!
What a joke!