(Delphi) is one of the chief things that was holding GM up and causing fears of bankruptcy. On Broad and Wall there's a collective sigh of relief. |
A decline is not a surprise here, but the size of the decline is a surprise, |
A Jan. 4 reporting date for 'December' sales provides both the temptation and the opportunity for some creative finagling of the sales numbers. |
A strike would be moot unless they waited until GM was back in production after the Flint strikes. If they went down now, who would care? It wouldn't mean anything. |
Anybody who was surprised by GM cutting its dividend hasn't been on this planet. |
Anyone who was surprised by Toyota's forecast has been living on another planet. |
Asian makers particularly are exploiting Detroit's 2,000 dollar per-vehicle cost-of-production disadvantage (which largely stems from the US manufacturers' enormous legacy costs) to offer stylistically and technologically more advanced vehicles. |
Barring something we don't see coming, like $2 gasoline or 10 percent interest rates, I don't see the slowdown coming anytime soon, |
Barring something we don't see coming, like $2 gasoline or 10 percent interest rates, I don't see the slowdown coming anytime soon. |
Both Ford and G.M. are saddled with these legacy costs that they're negotiating with the union. Beyond that, there isn't much they can do but continue to attack their single largest cost: purchased materials. |
but it ain't going to affect car sales soon. |
Considering all the headwinds you had to deal with in the early part of the year, I think it turned out rather well, |
Considering all the headwinds you had to deal with in the early part of the year, I think it turned out rather well. |
Despite concerns that the current sales weakness represents a new recession in vehicle sales, we believe that the explanation continues to be payback for last summer's excesses, |
Detroit was an island surrounded by prosperity this year. The big SUV sales collapsed and did a number on their profitability. Both GM and Ford will lose a little market share in 2006, but not at the rate of 2005. |