|
||
![]() |
||
|
GM Loses $4.9B in Q4, $8.6B in '05
General Motors produced another awful financial surprise Thursday by announcing it lost $4.9 billion during the fourth quarter and more than $8.6 billion for all of 2005.
The company says the wide losses were due to the heavy cost of the company's contracts with the United Auto Workers and the need to bail out the bankrupt Delphi Corp.
Richard Wagoner, GM's chairman and chief executive officer, said, "Our results were dramatically and adversely affected by charges for restructuring and matters associated with Delphi Corp.'s Chapter 11 filing," Wagoner said. It "was one of the most difficult years in GM's history," he said.
"In order to improve financial results in 2006 and 2007,
we are moving quickly to implement several important actions that will address
these weaknesses in
However, Wagoner and Fritz Henderson, GM's new chief financial officer, said the pace of the restructuring will depend on talks with the UAW, which must sign off on any plan that includes worker buyouts or early retirement.
The fourth-quarter financial report was worse than most analysts expected and is certain to revive talk about a bankruptcy filing by the giant automaker.
GM Loses $4.9B in Q4, $8.6B in
'05
(1/26/2006)
Staggering numbers underscore gravity of restructuring.
Bush:
Financial problems at
UAW, DCX Talking Healthcare
The United Auto Workers has granted Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. concessions on the healthcare benefits for union workers, albeit reluctantly. But when it comes to DaimlerChrysler, the signals for a deal on healthcare are altogether more ambiguous.
Both Dieter Zetsche, DaimlerChrysler chief executive, and Tom LaSorda, Chrysler Group CEO, have indicated they are confident the union is prepared to approve healthcare concessions similar to those already delivered to GM and Ford.
However, UAW president Ron Gettelfinger, who likes to say the devil is in the details, is a master at drawing out negotiations, particularly when there is no advantage to the union in a quick settlement. He has noted there are subtle differences in the so-called pattern contracts at DaimlerChrysler, General Motors, and Ford. For one thing, going back to the concessions days in the early 1980s, Chrysler always had an escape clause that allowed the company to shift some costs in some plans to employees if the company's overall bill increased too quickly, which it did last year.
Thus, Gettelfinger noted
recently that the union had already adjusted healthcare plans at Chrysler.
Gettelfinger also said the concessions, while painful for the union, were
necessary because of
"It was a long year," Gettelfinger said in a speech to the Automotive News World Congress. "It was probably one of the most painful, excruciating decisions that we ever had to deal with as a union."
UAW, DCX Talking Healthcare (1/26/2006)
But there's no guarantee on a deal.
Oil Prices Up, Sales Off in '06
Sales of
new vehicles in January don't look very promising, according to a new survey by
the Power Information Network maintained by J.D. Power & Associates of
In addition, gasoline prices are beginning to move upwards
again, putting new pressure on motorists and manufacturers who had been counting
on relatively stable oil prices to boost consumer confidence and sales of new
vehicles, raising the possibility carmakers will be unable to avoid heavy-duty
incentives as the year progresses.
The report from the Power Information Network estimated that new-vehicle retail sales were down eleven percent through the first 15 days of January when compared to the same time period a year ago.
GM's retail sales when compared to early January 2005 dropped 28 percent while Ford Motor Co.'s fell 25 percent in the first 15 days of January. DaimlerChrysler sales were down 13 percent when compared to the same period in 2005. Domestic manufacturers generally tend to do better once the fleet sales numbers are added to the mix.
Oil Prices Up, Sales Off in
'06 (1/26/2006)
Big domestic declines ring in the new year.
Cadillac Papering Super Bowl XL
Cadillac, one of the General Motors' biggest success stories in recent years, is gunning for its fifth consecutive year of sales increases.
Jim Taylor, Cadillac's general manager, said GM's luxury division is confident it can boost sales again in 2006.
For one thing, Cadillac is counting on the introduction of the new
2007 Cadillac Escalade, which is part of the fleet of new SUVs that GM is
counting on to help arrest the slide in the company's profitability and market
share, he said. The Escalade represents Phase II of the Cadillac renaissance,
To get the buzz around Escalade rolling, Cadillac
is planning to use Super Bowl XL to kick off Escalade sales,
Leo Burnett Detroit recruited experts from the fashion world to help create the 60-second spot, "Chrome Couture," which emphasizes the Escalade's unique appeal as a pop-culture icon.
The agency created a fashion show for the commercial, in which the Escalade rolls out as models get their hair and makeup done and dresses tailored at the last minute, while fashionistas, paparazzi, and celebrities pack in around the catwalk.
Cadillac Papering Super Bowl
XL (1/26/2006)
New
Escalade will be focus of Caddy's NFL celebration.

FROM THE SOURCE headlines from the latest press releases
The Harris
Interactive(R) Automotive Website Assessment Study evaluates the
effectiveness and visitor satisfaction of 37
major


Name | Symbol | Last | Change |
![]() | |||
Autobytel, Inc. | ABTL | 4.96 | |
![]() | |||
Autoliv Inc. | ALV | 49.05 | |
![]() | |||
AutoNation Inc. | AN | 22.29 | |
![]() | |||
ArvinMeritor Inc. | ARM | 16.15 | |
![]() | |||
American Axle & Mfr. Holdings Inc. | AXL | 18.16 | |
![]() | |||
Ballard Power Systems Inc. | BLDP | 5.19 | |
![]() | |||
BorgWarner Inc. | BWA | 54.89 | |
![]() | |||
Cummins Inc. | CMI | 93.92 | |
![]() | |||
Dana Corporation | DCN | 4.36 | |
![]() | |||
DaimlerChrysler AG (ADR) | DCX | 57.27 | |
![]() | |||
Dura Automotive Systems | DRRA | 2.21 | |
![]() | |||
Eaton Corporation | ETN | 65.52 | |
![]() | |||
Ford Motor Company | F | 8.67 | |
![]() | |||
General Motors Corporation | GM | 23.05 | |
![]() | |||
Gentex Corporation | GNTX | 16.13 | |
![]() | |||
Goodyear Tire & Rubber | GT | 18.30 | |
![]() | |||
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (ADR) | HMC | 28.06 | |
![]() | |||
Johnson Controls Inc. | JCI | 70.61 | |
![]() | |||
Lear Corporation | LEA | 24.65 | |
![]() | |||
Magna International Inc. | MGA | 73.01 | |
![]() | |||
Motorola Inc. | MOT | 22.95 | |
![]() | |||
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (ADR) | NSANY | 22.40 | |
![]() | |||
Sonic Automotive Inc. | SAH | 23.56 | |
![]() | |||
Siemens AG | SI | 92.11 | |
![]() | |||
Sirius Satellite Radio | SIRI | 5.82 | |
![]() | |||
Toyota Motor Corporation (ADR) | TM | 102.80 | |
![]() | |||
TRW Automotive Holdings | TRW | 25.20 | |
![]() | |||
Tower Automotive Inc. | TWRAQ.PK | 0.07 | |
![]() | |||
United Auto Group Inc. | UAG | 37.92 | |
![]() | |||
Visteon Corporation | VC | 4.94 | |
![]() | |||
XM Satellite Radio Hold. | XMSR | 27.40 |
Email This Page