Report: GM sales boosted by incentives, analysts fear return of ‘push’ model

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., GM, Earnings/Financials

General MotorsAccording to Automotive News, some analysts are accusing General Motors of sliding back into bad habits by boosting sales with heavy incentives. The report says that GM’s 22-percent sales jump in January was largely fueled by laying piles of cash on the hood. On average, GM handed out $3,762 per vehicle last month – the highest incentive figure of any of the six largest automakers. That number represents a 29-percent increase over the same month last year, and Edmunds.com analysts are concerned that the automaker has begun pushing too many models on dealers with plans to move them with incentives.

GM, meanwhile, says that while the company did institute a “modest” increase in incentives last month, it doesn’t plan on falling back into the rut of driving production with the cash. The company saw Chevrolet sales jump 19 percent, while Buick and GMC enjoyed a 32-percent increase, all of which were driven largely by more free-flowing consumer credit.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]

Report: GM sales boosted by incentives, analysts fear return of ‘push’ model originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 05 Feb 2011 12:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Farmer Knows Best: Pickup sales boosted by booming agrarian economy?

Filed under: Car Buying, Truck, Dodge, Ford, GM, Toyota

2011 Ford F-150

2011 Ford F-150 – Click above for high-res image gallery

Through the first nine months of 2010, the auto industry is on pace to increase sales by 10 percent versus 2009, and pickup trucks are leading the charge. Bloomberg reports that bedded haulers are up 14 percent on the year, led by increased demand from the farming industry. Farmers have seen their revenues increase by $9 billion over last year, with both prices and demand rising in part because of droughts in Russia and Canada. Farmers are using their new-found dollars to invest in their businesses, and trucks are among the biggest and best tools in the box barn.

Automakers are beneficiaries of this investment, as truck sales climb and profits soar. Analyst Joe Barker of IHS Automotive claims that automakers can make up to $15,000 on each pickup sold, a figure that holds firmest when incentives are down. And with sales up, incentives have dipped. Edmunds shows that trucks have an average MSRP of $34,235, or about $2,000 higher than in 2009. Supply and demand really does work.

The biggest recipient of the increased demand for pickups has so far been Ford, which has seen its F-Series pickups jump by 31 percent. Chevy Silverado sales are up 17 percent as well. Even the Toyota Tundra, which has struggled in the U.S. market, is up 21 percent. The Ram appears to be the only truck suffering through the pickup truck boom, with sales down one percent year-over-year.

Gallery: 2011 Ford F-150: First Drive

2011 Ford F-1502011 Ford F-1502011 Ford F-1502011 Ford F-1502011 Ford F-150

Live photos copyright (C)2010 Jeremy Korzeniewski / AOL and Ford Motor Company

[Source: Bloomberg]

Farmer Knows Best: Pickup sales boosted by booming agrarian economy? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 24 Oct 2010 17:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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