Results | GM Authority

OnStar Experiences Rapid Growth In China
by Wilson Nunnari
Posted March 9th, 2010 at 9:30 pm

North American drivers (and passengers) have had the pleasure of using OnStar service for the last decade (if not more). But in China, OnStar first became available in December 2009 and – after being on the market for only two months – now has 1,000 subscribers.

Currently, OnStar in China is available in the Buick Enclave and Cadillac SLS (stretched STS). It will be rolled out in select 2011 Chevrolet, Buick, and Cadillac models in China later this year. The 1000th customer in China added the service to his new Buick Enclave and is “honored to help Shanghai OnStar reach a new milestone.”

Having reached 1000 subscribers in China is a major milestone for GM, helping The General expand its global reach. GM, along with Buick, has acquired a very admirable reputation in the People’s Republic. This is especially true of Buick, which has seen tremendous success as an upscale marque. This success can provide a framework for improving growth and public perception for the brand in the United States.

Here at GM Authority, we’re of the opinion that OnStar is one of GM’s greatest innovations. It has tremendous utility and noteworthy information-gathering ability that can be applied to future product development. And the upcoming smartphone integration is simply amazing. That said, it still has room to grow and improve – similar to growth opportunities for the Buick brand in the United States.

Shanghai OnStar Telematics Co. Ltd. was established in 2007 as a joint venture between General Motors’ OnStar, SAIC’s Shanghai Automotive Industry Sales Co. Ltd., and Shanghai GM.

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February Sales Mark Another Flourishing Month For GM
by Manoli Katakis
Posted March 8th, 2010 at 10:35 am
Having posted a 12 percent gain for the month of February, General Motors is on a roll.

The General’s total sales for the second month of 2010 came in at 138,849 units. Out of that number, 6,482 units came from the Chevy Camaro, which passed the 75,000 units sold mark, beating the Ford Mustang every month since its reintroduction. Overall, however, American rival Ford tallied an inch higher than The General, nabbing a mere 334 more sales to hold the number one spot in the U.S. for February, with GM being number two. That is unless you’re still counting Hummer, Saturn, Pontiac and Saab, which boosts GM’s bottom line to 141,951 vehicles.

GM’s four core brands – made up of Chevy, Cadillac, Buick and Grabowski Motor Company (there’s a trivia fact for you) – grew a spurting 32 percent compared to last February, with each brand having at least one standout model. Here are a few year-over-year (YOY) highlights compared to outgoing nameplates:
- Chevy Equinox grew 132.8 percent
- Buick LaCrosse is up 163 percent
- Cadillac SRX gained (a staggering) 541.7 percent
- GMC Terrain up 303 percent
This is the seventh month in a row that these four have posted triple digit YOY gains.

From a brand perspective:
- Chevy soared 32.35 percent and moved 99,999 units
- Buick blew up 47.21 percent – more than any other brand and and recorded 9,121 unites
- GMC came in at 20,496 and expanded 26.24 percent
- Cadillac climbed 31.76 percent, recording 9,273 units
This is great news – and with the recent executive shuffle – let’s see how The General’s new marketing and sales structure will affect March and April!

Stay tuned for our By-The-Numbers article later today, where we show you the full model-by-model breakdown of February sales!
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Fifth-Generation Camaro Reaches 100,000 Milestone
by Wilson Nunnari
Posted March 8th, 2010 at 8:00 am

In case you didn’t already know, the Camaro-Mustang rivalry has been (and still is) one of the hottest comparisons of all time. Some people are staunchly Ford/Mustang people while the rest lie faithful to the muscle car wearing the bow tie (you can guess what camp we fall into). But fast forward to the muscle cars of today and it’s plain to see that these vehicles have evolved to be much more than that: they are valid and credible performance choices among today’s automotive landscape.

What’s more, the Camaro-Mustang sales numbers race has been ongoing for years. Ford’s reinvented Mustang beat the Camaro and Challenger to market, but ever since Chevy launched the fifth-generation (2010) Camaro, the bow tie-wielding pony car has been topping the sales charts while leaving the Mustang in its rearview mirror. This is even despite Ford’s thorough refresh of the Mustang the same year the Camaro went into production.

But Ford forgot a little detail, as the powertrains were not a part of that update. Instead, they were put off until the 2011 model year. The Mustang now has a (respected) 5.0L V8 and a 3.7L V6 that makes a full five horsepower more than the Camaro’s 3.6L six-banger. The new V6 in the Mustang is also the most fuel efficient V6 in its class (albeit by a single mile per gallon). So with all those enhancements, the sales race will surely be one worth watching over the next year and beyond.

However, despite the sales race and close competition, the Camaro reached a production milestone this week as a particular Inferno Orange Camaro SS became the 100,000th ‘Maro to be produced. Chevy reached this milestone less than a year after the 2010 Camaro went into production. Plans for Camaro #100,000 are unclear, but if it isn’t kept for the GM Heritage collection, this VIN will certainly be worth something extra to one lucky owner.

As the 2011 Mustang starts production next month, building Camaro #200,000 may take significantly longer to reach (given the increased competition). But you can bet that the GM Authority Team will keep its eye on the sales race and let you know of any important sales and production information as it happens! In the meantime, enjoy the gallery of high-res Camaro pics right after the break!

[Source: Camaro5] (more…)

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Cadillacs And Corvettes Move (Very) Slowly In The United Kingdom
by Wilson Nunnari
Posted February 9th, 2010 at 8:33 pm

As GM works to increase European sales of Chevrolet to 1 million yearly units by 2015, things aren’t looking so hot for Cadillac on the continent. In fact, things are very gloomy, as Cadillac sold only 177 vehicles in the UK last year (during the entire year) while only 36 Corvettes found homes in driveways across the nation.

These numbers pale in comparison to even exotic makes such as Ferrari (452) and Maserati (408). Luckily, General Motors’ native European brands performed far better. Opel had two of the top four sellers in the United Kingdom as well as a third in the top 10. The three vehicles are the Opel Corsa, Astra, and Insignia, respectively.

The GM Authority Take

It doesn’t take a genius to realize that GM’s import brands need a stronger presence in Europe (read: a kick in the arse). Let’s hope that 2010 will be the breakout year – so long as GM can reach an agreement with dealers in the immediate future. The GM Authority Team remains hopeful.

[Source: AutoObsever]

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Holden Starts Decade With Strong Sales
by Conor Cameron
Posted February 9th, 2010 at 8:00 am

If the Toyota Camry’s status as best-selling passenger vehicle in the US for the last several years is impressive, then the Holden Commodore is outright amazing. The Zeta-based series of GM’s Australian arm has been the top seller in the country for fourteen (1.4×10^1) consecutive years. Official numbers from Australia’s Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries indicate Holden sold 44,387 of the domestically produced Commodore in 2009, maintaining the lead it has held since 1996.

The Commodore, introduced 30 years ago, was not alone in celebrating gains. Holden sold 119,568 vehicles in Australia in 2009, good for 12.8% of the market, second behind Toyota. Sales were 20% greater last month than they were a year ago. Moreover, the Cruze sold 12,590 units since its launch in June; the Captiva (aka Saturn Vue) sold 11,504 units, a 14% increase over 2008; the Colorado 4×4 sold 11,002 units.

January 2010 numbers further suggest increasing momentum for all of those models as well as the Barina, which sold 1,379 units in January. Holden’s Director of Sales and Marketing, John Elsworth, called January the best month on record since the same period in 2007. The Sydney Morning Herald notes that while the end of a tax break for small businesses limited sales somewhat, the strong results nonetheless will improve consumer confidence.

[Sources: GM 1, GM 2, Sydney Morning Herald, Automotive World]

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By The Numbers: GM India Sales Increase 139 Percent Year-Over-Year. Market Share Still In The Single Digits
by Alex Luft
Posted February 3rd, 2010 at 10:49 pm
GM has registered record growth in India for January 2010. Continuing its trend of climbing sales in the U.S. and abroad, GM sold a total of 9,421 units in the first month of the year, representing a 139 percent year-over-year increase.

This is also the highest monthly sales figure achieved by GM India since its inception. For the sake of comparison, GM sold 8,258 units in December 2009.

The Bad News

Even though the percentage change seems impressive, GM is still lagging behind Indian industry stalwarts like Tata Motors and Maruti Suzuki. In fact, GM’s January 2010 marketshare is right around the five percent mark. In a positive light, The Indian-General’s low market share today can be seen as having room to grow tomorrow.

To make matters worse, in December GM announced a mysterious partnership with SAIC in which it will share revenue generated from Indian operations with the Shanghai-based manufacturer.

The Breakdown

GM India January 2010 sales are comprised of:
- 3477 units of Chevrolet Spark
- 2825 units of Chevrolet Beat
- 1512 units of Chevrolet Tavera
- 686 units of Chevrolet Cruze
- 434 units of Aveo U-VA
- 364 units of Aveo
- 72 units of Chevrolet Captiva
- 51 units of Chevrolet Optra
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GM Sells Over 145,000 Vehicles In January 2010 – A 14 Percent Increase
by Manoli Katakis
Posted February 2nd, 2010 at 2:23 pm

Earlier today, GM announced US sales results for the first month of 2010 and they’re looking a-mazin’. GM recorded a 14 percent sales jump in January, with total US sales coming in at 145,098 vehicle. That’s 30 percent more compared to January 2009. This pegs GM’s US market share for the month at 20.4 percent. Contributing to the growing sales numbers were the Chevy Equinox, GMC Terrain, Buick LaCrosse, and Cadillac SRX.

Year over year, the Equinox jumped a healthy 62 percent, the Terrain spiked 162 percent (compared to the Pontiac Torrent it supposedly replaces), the SRX gained an insane 218 percent, while the LaCrosse leaped 142 percent.

This gives GM a 20 percent market share in the US CUV market, the largest of any automaker. Together, the Equinox and Terrain take the #2 spot in the CUV market. To top it all of, these two all-new models were only launched this past June.

The SRX has recorded triple digit percentage gains for the past five months in a row and has gained 15 percentage points in the mid-luxury CUV segment. Considering that the all-new SRX was just released this past summer, this news gave the GM Authority Team reason to rejoice.

The Lexus ES better watch its back, because the all-new Buick LaCrosse conquered an additional 12 percentage points in its segment- more than any other car in its class. The all-new Chevy Camaro has even outsold the Ford Mustang for the eighth straight month… and it’s only been available since the middle of March 2009.

Though arch rival Toyota has most recently slammed its face on the gas pedal (with the gearshift in reverse, nonetheless), these sales results were not effected by the Japanese giant’s massive recall. To take advantage of the situation, GM is offering a few appealing incentives for disgruntled Toyota costumers that are bound to boost sales even further come February!

Good month, GM. Keep it going!

View GM’s full presser after the break.

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GM China Sales Up 67 Percent In 2009
by Alex Luft
Posted January 5th, 2010 at 7:36 pm

While 2009 proved to be an abysmal year for the global auto industry, there was one major exception. The Chinese car market experienced a huge increase in sales, mostly due to the country’s expanding economy and a whole bunch of government subsidies.

GM fans would be glad to hear that 2009 was the year The General had the biggest success in China, experiencing a 67 percent increase over 2008 levels. In fact, GM China sales surpassed those in the US in during the first 11 months of 2009. To round off the year, GM China experienced a 96.6 percent sales increase in December 2009 versus the same period one year ago (December 2008).

What’s more, GM is anticipating an even stronger 2010, with GM China president Kevin Wale adding “the industry outlook is strong, and we expect more growth, albeit on a somewhat slower pace.” That’s music to the ears of GM and the company’s most loyal fans, as we all know how much The General has been struggling in the United States.

And while GM is doing everything it can to reduce its expenses all over the world, China is an exception. The General is spending money and investing heavily in China: in 2009, it opened a laboratory and safety facility and launched its OnStar telematics system. It’s also planning on opening an enormous proving ground in the country in the near future.

GM’s success in China can’t be properly discussed without mentioning its Chinese partner SAIC, to whom The General just sold the controlling one percent stake of its Shanghai GM partnership.

We hope GM can bring the level of success it’s having in China to other global automotive markets, especially the US.

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The GM Authority Take

The Bad News

The Breakdown