Customer Logins
Obtain the data you need to make the most informed decisions by accessing our extensive portfolio of information, analytics, and expertise. Sign in to the product or service center of your choice.
Customer LoginsThree GM brands are thriving
Ford is getting all the buzz these days as its sales, market share and profits soar. Yet, the 3 brands with the greatest year-over-year improvements in U.S. registrations are Buick, Cadillac and GMC, all GM brands. One reason these impressive GM results don't get much publicity is that GM's corporate year-over-year comparisons still include year-ago sales of its four discontinued brands. Also, the results for GM's dominant make, Chevrolet, lag those of its arch rival, Ford.
The strong showing for GM's three brands support the old saying, "it's all about product." Buick's 58% increase is due in large part to the recent introduction of the all-new, incremental Regal sedan, derived from the Opel Insignia, a recent European Car of the Year. Further, sales of the Lacrosse, sporting a more contemporary design, have more than doubled, and deliveries of the Enclave midsize crossover are up by more than a quarter.
Cadillac's increase of 44% has been driven by a three-fold jump in deliveries of its redesigned SRX midsize premium crossover. This is a double win for Cadillac, as the SRX's share of segment has skyrocketed AND this segment is one of the largest premium categories.
Lastly, GMC has moved forward with the successful launch of the Terrain, the brand's smallest model that competes in the thriving compact crossover category. Ironically, GMC's other successful model is the Yukon XL, its largest truck and one of the biggest on the road.
One can make the argument that some of GM's success may be derived from fleet sales to daily rental companies. But one can also argue that GM has not had a huge amount of positive publicity in recent months, to put it mildly, so now that there are some hard facts working in the company's favor, the company and the automotive media should be touting these facts.
Posted by Tom Libby, Polk Insight Advisor, Polk (11.2.2010)