Showing posts with label GM. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GM. Show all posts

Monday, April 15, 2013

Get more into third world driveways

Irrespective of all possible speculations before, during and post GM’s Chapter 11 experience, the brand has become a force to be reckoned with, and primarily in the eyes of Americans themselves. But the story beyond home ground is that GM still has a long way to go.

The General has been through this a few years back, when Toyota toppled it to become the world’s largest automaker. During the recession, they were also humbled by Detroit cousin Ford, which survived on its own, while GM earned the embarrassing label of ‘Government Motors’. And now more recently, three analysts surveyed by Bloomberg have concluded that Volkswagen, with an expected sales of 8.1 million vehicles this year and growth of 13% yoy, will overtake GM and Toyota to be the world’s number 1 automaker in 2011.

For GM, those kind of numbers are very relevant as it would be itching for the crown again. But they may not be as much of a concern at the moment; mainly due to the fact that their balance sheet is beginning to look healthy now. For the quarter ending June 2011, the company posted revenue of $39.4 billion, a growth of 18.6% yoy while net profits grew by 33.33% to $3 billion in the quarter. As of june 2011, GM had nonrestricted automotive cash and investments at around $32.8 billion. The Bloomberg trio have also projected that GM would gain by 8% yoy this year to reach around 7.55 million units, which will give it the second rank in the global pecking order followed by Toyota, which is looking at dropping sales especially post the tsunami.

So how is the former number 1 from Detroit looking at its sales in global markets. This is a stage where its past nemesis Toyota is facing a rough patch, but it has to confront an aggressive rival from Europe. Volkswagen’s ascent has a lot to do with their growth in both China and India. As far as GM is concerned, it is getting a positive contribution from all regions other than South America as region-wise EBIT figures indicate. More importantly, it is making a comeback in its own backyard. North America was particularly robust, where EBIT increased by 41.27% to reach $2.25 billion. CEO Dan Akerson credits this to better customer focused innovation and production of more design savvy and economical vehicles. The Chevy Cruze, Cadillac CTS Coupe and GMC Terrain are instances of vehicles that have gained favour with American customers.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
 
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Sunday, December 2, 2012

Why GM still holds many promises?

Fritz Henderson, COO & President (Global), General Motors Corp. writes in B&E on why GM still holds many promises, despite criticisms and obstacles galore!

B&E: What are the reasons behind GM’s falling sales and what has the company done to ensure a sustainable future?
FH:
The market is quite challenging. What we see is volatility in the market, and therefore you cannot have workable future strategies. The doubling of crude oil price in the last nine months, the housing market crash, all such factors have affected the American consumers and we will respond to this. We are already building a fuel efficient 1.4L engine for the American market.

B&E: On which alternative fuel system will you put your money? How feasible is such a system in the long term?
FH:
Our strategy is based on multiple energy avenues as we are frankly not sure in which direction the market will move. We think that ‘electrics’ are more feasible in the future at this time.

B&E: What seems to be the real problem at GM right now?
FH:
The problem that we face right now is that some of our products are extremely profitable and some are not. We want all our products in the portfolio to contribute to our profits and bottom lines.

B&E: Despite the fact that SUVs are no longer a feasible option, GM continues to be dependent on its SUV strategy. Why?
FH:
The SUV segment continues to be one of the biggest segments in the American market. And I think sales of SUVs are affected by and are directly related to the housing market condition more than by rising fuel prices..


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.An Initiative of IIPMMalay Chaudhuri

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.