General Motors October 2009

[Justin Bimmer]

DETROIT – A strong performance by GM's four core brands -- Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac -- resulted in GM U.S. October sales of 177,603 vehicles, up 4 percent from last October, the company's first year-over-year gain since January 2008.  Total sales increased 13 percent when compared with September. The four brands accounted for about 95 percent of GM's retail sales, an increase of 10 percentage points compared to the prior year.

 “We’re very pleased with consumer acceptance to our newest cars, crossovers and trucks,” said Susan Docherty, GM vice president, U.S. Sales. “While we have more work to do, we are making progress and will continue our focus on delivering vehicles and a sales and service experience that brings consumers to Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac – and keeps them coming back.”

October quick facts:

• Total GM sales increased 4 percent compared with October, 2008; retail sales were up 15 percent for the same period.
• Year-over-year total sales increase is the first since January, 2008.
• GM gains market share for the third straight month – estimated at 21 percent of the total light vehicle market.
• Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac retail sales represented 95 percent of October retail sales vs. 85 percent in October, 2008.
• Combined Buick / GMC retail sales were up 20 percent compared with last year, driving Buick-Pontiac-GMC retail sales up 12 percent.

Chevrolet Retail Sales Up 31 Percent 

Strong retail sales of Chevrolet’s launch vehicles – Camaro, Equinox, and Traverse – led to a year-over-year increase in total sales of 9 percent, and a 31 percent increase in retail sales for the same period. 

Chevrolet key facts:

• Malibu retail sales for Malibu were up 84 percent compared to a year ago.
• Camaro continues to distance itself from competition, selling nearly 8,000 vehicles during the month and we anticipate we will hold the top spot in the regular sports car segment.
• Corvette retains the number one position in the luxury sports car segment with nearly 28 percent of the market.
• Equinox share in compact crossover segment is growing, having more than doubled in a year to 10 percent – the highest since August, 2007; added a third shift to keep up with demand.
• Silverado total sales of 31,800 were driven by the strength of Chevrolet’s “Truck Month” promotion.

"Chevrolet had a solid sales month in October supported by our 2009 launch products Camaro, Equinox and Traverse," said Brent Dewar, vice president, global Chevrolet. "Our broad lineup appeals to a range of consumers, whether it's the modern sports car, Camaro, appealing to performance enthusiasts or the Equinox and Traverse delivering what today's families care about: safety, styling and efficiency."

Buick – GMC Total Sales Up 20 Percent

Buick car and crossover sales showed improvement in October vs. a year ago, led by the all-new LaCrosse and Enclave. Sales of the all-new GMC Terrain and GMC’s “Truck Month” promotion helped lift GMC total sales 20 percent, and retail sales 35 percent for the month, compared with last year.

Buick key facts:  

• Buick had its best total sales month for 2009 (9,053) and best since October '08, up 19 percent.
• LaCrosse had strongest month since launch, up 36 percent compared with September 2009, and up 103 percent compared to October 2008.
• Enclave total sales up year-over-year 38 percent.
• Lucerne had highest sales month of 2009 with sales of 4,324.

GMC key facts:

• GMC total sales were up 20 percent vs. October 2008, the highest monthly sales in 2009.
• Terrain total sales were up 85 percent over combined Pontiac Torrent / GMC Envoy October 2008 total sales and up 124 percent from September 2009.
• Sierra reported its highest total sales month of 2009, up 6 percent vs. October 2008.  
• Yukon / Yukon XL combined total sales were the highest since September 2008 (5,425), up 72 percent vs. October 2008.
• Acadia total sales were up 7 percent year-over-year, while retail sales increased 30 percent compared to October 2008.

“We like the momentum we’ve seen in the sales of new Buick and GMC models,” said Susan Docherty, Buick-GMC general manager, and GM Vice President of U.S. Sales. “In October, Buick and GMC both had their best sales months of 2009, and in fact, total sales for these two brands were up 33 percent over October 2008 for the combined total of Buick, Pontiac and GMC.”

Cadillac Total Sales Up 22 Percent

Led by the performance of the all-new SRX, Cadillac sales increased by 22 percent compared to a year ago, and were up 2 percent vs. September.

Cadillac key facts:

• SRX: total sales were 280 percent higher than October 2008 and were up 21 percent compared to September - the second best performance of the vehicle in history.
• SRX: days supply is 34 days, based on month-end inventory.
• Escalade:  Year-over-year total sales were 37 percent higher and market share continues to outperform competitors, including the Mercedes GL and Lexus LX 570.

"The interest customers are showing in the new SRX is exciting – we are seeing Lexus, BMW and Mercedes customers trading their vehicles for the SRX," said Bryan Nesbitt, Cadillac General Manager.

Other brands Sold 15,089 Vehicles in October

Total combined sales for Saturn, Pontiac, Saab and HUMMER were 15,089 for the month. As a percent of total GM sales, these brands represented 9 percent of sales, compared with 15 percent in October 2008.

Management Discussion of October Sales Results

The U.S. October 2009 SAAR of 10.6 million is a 13-percent improvement compared to last month, but is the second-lowest SAAR for October since the early 1980s. The U.S. economy and auto industry are showing signs of recovery:

Economy

• Normalization of credit spread, which is down to approximately 20 to 30 basis points – is helping make more credit available to consumers. However, consumer credit is still contracting – reflecting both weak credit demand and cautious bank lending.
• Consumer confidence has softened a bit in October, but remains much improved from the trough in March.
• Manufacturing sector is increasing output due to depleted current inventories.
• Job losses continue to slow, however employment levels continue to be a concern.
• Housing starts and home resale prices are beginning to stabilize.
  

Auto Industry

• Industry estimated October SAAR of 10.7 million could be the highest monthly SAAR since November 2008 (excluding cash-for-clunkers.)
• It appears that the bulk of the “Cash-for-Clunkers” pull-ahead occurred by the end of September.
• Industry inventory levels are anticipated to increase moderately into Q4 to support modestly rising industry sales.

GM Reports October Production; Fourth Quarter Production at 620,000 Vehicles

In October, GM produced 228,000 vehicles (92,000 cars and 136,000 trucks). This is down 90,000 vehicles, or 28 percent compared with October 2008, when GM North America produced 318,000 vehicles (151,000 cars and 167,000 trucks).  (Production totals include joint venture production of 15,000 vehicles in October 2009 and 11,000 vehicles in October 2008)

GM third quarter production was 531,000 vehicles (205,000 cars and 326,000 trucks), which was down 42 percent compared to the same quarter in 2008. GM North America built 915,000 vehicles (436,000 cars and 479,000 trucks) in the third quarter of 2008. However, third quarter production was substantially higher than production volumes for Q1 and Q2 2009 of 371,000 (up 43 percent) and 395,000 (up 34 percent), respectively.

GM’s 2009 fourth quarter forecast at 620,000 vehicles (239,000 cars and 381,000 trucks), which is down about 24 percent from a year ago. GM North America built 815,000 vehicles (365,000 cars and 450,000 trucks) in the fourth quarter of 2008. However, Q4 2009 production volumes represent a 17 percent increase compared to Q3 2009.

At October month-end, inventories of vehicles for U.S. dealers increased to 444,000 (172,000 cars and 272,000 trucks) compared to September, 2009 (157,000 cars and 267,000 trucks), an increase of 5 percent. Compared to month-end inventories for October 2008 (336,000 cars and 464,000 trucks), inventories decreased by 356,000 (164.000 cars and 192,000 trucks), or 45 percent.

About General Motors:  General Motors, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908.  With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 209,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 140 countries.  GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 34 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands:  Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling.  GM’s largest national market is the United States, followed by China, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia and Germany.  GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services.  General Motors acquired operations from General Motors Corporation on July 10, 2009, and references to prior periods in this and other press materials refer to operations of the old General Motors Corporation.  More information on the new General Motors can be found at www.gm.com.

*S/D Curr: 28	October					(Calendar Year-to-Date)
						January -  October
*S/D Prev: 27	2009	2008	% Chg Volume	%Chg per S/D		2009	2008	%Chg Volume
Vehicle Total	177,603	170,585	4.1	0.4		1,724,554	2,603,828	-33.8
Core Brand Total	162,514	145,605	11.6	7.6		1,482,310	2,154,564	-31.2
Non-Core Brand Total	15,089	24,980	-39.6	-41.8		242,244	449,264	-46.1
Light Vehicle Total	176,632	168,719	4.7	1.0		1,713,535	2,581,385	-33.6
Car Total	63,935	73,466	-13.0	-16.1		736,817	1,111,189	-33.7
Light Truck Total	112,697	95,253	18.3	14.1		976,718	1,470,196	-33.6
Truck Total **	113,668	97,119	17.0	12.9		987,737	1,492,639	-33.8
GM Vehicle Deliveries by Marketing Division
	2009	2008	%Chg Volume	%Chg per S/D		2009	2008	%Chg Volume
Buick Total	9,053	7,642	18.5	14.2		81,442	120,772	-32.6
Cadillac Total	11,602	9,541	21.6	17.3		84,626	139,109	-39.2
Chevrolet Total	116,436	107,313	8.5	4.6		1,108,984	1,567,684	-29.3
GMC Total	25,423	21,109	20.4	16.1		207,258	326,999	-36.6
Core Brand Total	162,514	145,605	11.6	7.6		1,482,310	2,154,564	-31.2
HUMMER Total	307	1,368	-77.6	-78.4		8,500	23,861	-64.4
Pontiac Total	10,646	13,054	-18.4	-21.4		162,464	238,762	-32.0
Saab Total	513	1,975	-74.0	-75.0		7,441	19,337	-61.5
Saturn Total	3,623	8,583	-57.8	-59.3		63,839	167,304	-61.8
Non-Core Brand Total	15,089	24,980	-39.6	-41.8		242,244	449,264	-46.1
GM Vehicle Total	177,603	170,585	4.1	0.4		1,724,554	2,603,828	-33.8
GM CarDeliveries by Marketing Division
	2009	2008	%Chg Volume	%Chg per S/D		2009	2008	%Chg Volume
Buick Total	5,980	5,398	10.8	6.8		46,751	80,981	-42.3
Cadillac Total	5,221	6,271	-16.7	-19.7		52,040	93,200	-44.2
Chevrolet Total	40,557	43,791	-7.4	-10.7		453,731	627,267	-27.7
Car Core Brand Total	51,758	55,460	-6.7	-10.0		552,522	801,448	-31.1
Pontiac Total	10,474	12,105	-13.5	-16.6		153,197	220,895	-30.6
Saab Total	299	1,659	-82.0	-82.6		5,383	16,187	-66.7
Saturn Total	1,404	4,242	-66.9	-68.1		25,715	72,659	-64.6
Car Non-Core Brand Total	12,177	18,006	-32.4	-34.8		184,295	309,741	-40.5
GM Car Total	63,935	73,466	-13.0	-16.1		736,817	1,111,189	-33.7
GM Light TruckDeliveries by Marketing Division
	2009	2008	%Chg Volume	%Chg per S/D		2009	2008	%Chg Volume
Buick Total	3,073	2,244	36.9	32.1		34,691	39,791	-12.8
Cadillac Total	6,381	3,270	95.1	88.2		32,586	45,909	-29.0
Chevrolet Total	75,351	62,690	20.2	15.9		650,089	931,424	-30.2
GMC Total	24,980	20,075	24.4	20.0		201,403	313,549	-35.8
Truck Core Brand Total	109,785	88,279	24.4	19.9		918,769	1,330,673	-31.0
HUMMER Total	307	1,368	-77.6	-78.4		8,500	23,861	-64.4
Pontiac Total	172	949	-81.9	-82.5		9,267	17,867	-48.1
Saab Total	214	316	-32.3	-34.7		2,058	3,150	-34.7
Saturn Total	2,219	4,341	-48.9	-50.7		38,124	94,645	-59.7
Truck Non-Core Brand Total	2,912	6,974	-58.2	-59.7		57,949	139,523	-58.5
GM Light Truck Total	112,697	95,253	18.3	14.1		976,718	1,470,196	-33.6
* Twenty-eight selling days (S/D) for the October period this year and twenty-seven for last year.
**Effective August 2007, GM includes GMC & Chevrolet dealer deliveries of commercial vehicles distributed by American Isuzu Motors, Inc.

	October					(Calendar Year-to-Date)
						January -  October
	2009	2008	% Chg Volume	%Chg per S/D		2009	2008	%Chg Volume
Selling Days (S/D)	28	27				28	27
LaCrosse	3,228	1,592	102.8	95.5		19,837	33,336	-40.5
Lucerne	2,752	3,806	-27.7	-30.3		26,914	47,645	-43.5
Buick Total	5,980	5,398	10.8	6.8		46,751	80,981	-42.3
CTS	2,921	3,997	-26.9	-29.5		31,932	51,476	-38.0
DTS	1,896	1,590	19.2	15.0		14,021	27,380	-48.8
STS	355	632	-43.8	-45.8		5,398	13,253	-59.3
XLR	49	52	-5.8	-9.1		689	1,091	-36.8
Cadillac Total	5,221	6,271	-16.7	-19.7		52,040	93,200	-44.2
Aveo	1,459	3,162	-53.9	-55.5		32,945	49,782	-33.8
Camaro	8,082	0	***.*	***.*		47,233	0	***.*
Cobalt	5,055	6,478	-22.0	-24.8		90,940	168,940	-46.2
Corvette	1,154	1,170	-1.4	-4.9		11,949	24,554	-51.3
Impala	12,721	22,107	-42.5	-44.5		139,577	231,841	-39.8
Malibu	12,086	10,874	11.1	7.2		131,081	151,429	-13.4
Monte Carlo	0	0	***.*	***.*		6	708	-99.2
SSR	0	0	***.*	***.*		0	13	***.*
Chevrolet Total	40,557	43,791	-7.4	-10.7		453,731	627,267	-27.7
Core Brand Total	51,758	55,460	-6.7	-10.0		552,522	801,448	-31.1
G3 Wave	227	0	***.*	***.*		5,417	0	***.*
G5	369	812	-54.6	-56.2		10,778	21,892	-50.8
G6	8,358	6,788	23.1	18.7		77,403	126,494	-38.8
G8	750	1,082	-30.7	-33.2		21,371	12,390	72.5
GTO	0	0	***.*	***.*		0	52	***.*
Grand Prix	3	148	-98.0	-98.0		258	8,252	-96.9
Solstice	266	330	-19.4	-22.3		4,521	10,013	-54.8
Vibe	501	2,945	-83.0	-83.6		33,449	41,802	-20.0
Pontiac Total	10,474	12,105	-13.5	-16.6		153,197	220,895	-30.6
9-2X	0	0	***.*	***.*		0	3	***.*
9-3	248	1,471	-83.1	-83.7		4,480	13,877	-67.7
9-5	51	188	-72.9	-73.8		903	2,307	-60.9
Saab Total	299	1,659	-82.0	-82.6		5,383	16,187	-66.7
Astra	49	543	-91.0	-91.3		6,102	9,707	-37.1
Aura	1,173	3,391	-65.4	-66.6		16,865	54,033	-68.8
ION	0	0	***.*	***.*		12	314	-96.2
Sky	182	308	-40.9	-43.0		2,736	8,605	-68.2
Saturn Total	1,404	4,242	-66.9	-68.1		25,715	72,659	-64.6
Non-Core Brand Total	12,177	18,006	-32.4	-34.8		184,295	309,741	-40.5
GM Car Total	63,935	73,466	-13.0	-16.1		736,817	1,111,189	-33.7

	October					(Calendar Year-to-Date)
						January -  October
	2009	2008	% Chg Volume	%Chg per S/D		2009	2008	%Chg Volume
Selling Days (S/D)	28	27				28	27
Enclave	3,073	2,228	37.9	33.0		34,645	39,128	-11.5
Rainier	0	3	***.*	***.*		4	114	-96.5
Rendezvous	0	0	***.*	***.*		9	23	-60.9
Terraza	0	13	***.*	***.*		33	526	-93.7
Buick Total	3,073	2,244	36.9	32.1		34,691	39,791	-12.8
Escalade	2,127	1,556	36.7	31.8		13,118	19,275	-31.9
Escalade ESV	599	533	12.4	8.4		5,206	9,076	-42.6
Escalade EXT	178	265	-32.8	-35.2		2,015	3,779	-46.7
SRX	3,477	916	279.6	266.0		12,247	13,779	-11.1
Cadillac Total	6,381	3,270	95.1	88.2		32,586	45,909	-29.0
Chevy C/T Series	0	61	***.*	***.*		36	320	-88.8
Chevy W Series	34	95	-64.2	-65.5		607	1,398	-56.6
Colorado	1,732	2,552	-32.1	-34.6		29,298	47,396	-38.2
Equinox	7,868	2,841	176.9	167.1		63,850	59,130	8.0
Express	4,155	7,556	-45.0	-47.0		45,651	72,822	-37.3
HHR	6,681	5,265	26.9	22.4		62,682	85,763	-26.9
Kodiak 4/5 Series	466	572	-18.5	-21.4		3,662	5,943	-38.4
Kodiak 6/7/8 Series	28	104	-73.1	-74.0		859	1,332	-35.5
Suburban (Chevy)	4,231	2,464	71.7	65.6		31,672	44,121	-28.2
Tahoe	7,738	3,674	110.6	103.1		57,443	81,012	-29.1
TrailBlazer	210	2,954	-92.9	-93.1		8,550	68,235	-87.5
Traverse	9,459	1,359	596.0	571.2		75,156	1,585	***.*
Uplander	62	736	-91.6	-91.9		1,706	39,359	-95.7
Avalanche	1,461	1,600	-8.7	-11.9		12,939	29,810	-56.6
Silverado-C/K Pickup	31,754	31,689	0.2	-3.4		261,142	402,191	-35.1
Chevrolet Fullsize Pickups	33,215	33,289	-0.2	-3.8		274,081	432,001	-36.6
Chevrolet Total	75,879	63,522	19.5	15.2		655,253	940,417	-30.3
Acadia	3,282	3,071	6.9	3.1		43,957	60,089	-26.8
Canyon	454	649	-30.0	-32.5		9,029	12,904	-30.0
Envoy	167	887	-81.2	-81.8		4,676	21,864	-78.6
GMC C/T Series	45	33	36.4	31.5		419	429	-2.3
GMC W Series	92	177	-48.0	-49.9		1,486	2,229	-33.3
Savana	764	1,060	-27.9	-30.5		10,468	20,333	-48.5
Sierra	11,894	11,256	5.7	1.9		91,327	145,067	-37.0
Terrain	2,994	0	***.*	***.*		4,803	0	***.*
Topkick 4/5 Series	210	368	-42.9	-45.0		2,372	7,133	-66.7
Topkick 6/7/8 Series	96	456	-78.9	-79.7		1,578	3,659	-56.9
Yukon	3,388	1,836	84.5	77.9		23,820	32,412	-26.5
Yukon XL	2,037	1,316	54.8	49.3		13,323	20,880	-36.2
GMC Total	25,423	21,109	20.4	16.1		207,258	326,999	-36.6
Core Brand Total	110,756	90,145	22.9	18.5		929,788	1,353,116	-31.3
HUMMER H1	0	0	***.*	***.*		0	17	***.*
HUMMER H2	68	260	-73.8	-74.8		1,429	5,488	-74.0
HUMMER H3	160	857	-81.3	-82.0		5,168	18,104	-71.5
HUMMER H3T	79	251	-68.5	-69.6		1,903	252	655.2
HUMMER Total	307	1,368	-77.6	-78.4		8,500	23,861	-64.4
Montana SV6	0	0	***.*	***.*		0	64	***.*
Torrent	172	949	-81.9	-82.5		9,267	17,803	-47.9
Pontiac Total	172	949	-81.9	-82.5		9,267	17,867	-48.1
9-7X	214	316	-32.3	-34.7		2,058	3,150	-34.7
Saab Total	214	316	-32.3	-34.7		2,058	3,150	-34.7
Outlook	1,460	1,362	7.2	3.4		12,040	22,765	-47.1
Relay	0	2	***.*	***.*		12	159	-92.5
VUE	759	2,977	-74.5	-75.4		26,072	71,721	-63.6
Saturn Total	2,219	4,341	-48.9	-50.7		38,124	94,645	-59.7
Non-Core Brand Total	2,912	6,974	-58.2	-59.7		57,949	139,523	-58.5
GM Truck Total	113,668	97,119	17.0	12.9		987,737	1,492,639	-33.8

Edited November 4, 2009 by CSpec

[Drew Dowdell]

More than 50% of 2010 Chevy Equinox customers traded in a non-GM vehicle

[Z-06]

I want names of those 227 people who bought the G3.

[chevelle454]

I want names of those 227 people who bought the G3.

Mr Avis and Mr Hertz

[Intrepidation]

So GM, with four brands, posts a year over (not that month of crap) sales gain when it has 8 brands.

Funny that.

Anyway, hope to see more of this!

[Drew Dowdell]

I want names of those 227 people who bought the G3.

Maybe it was Mr. Canadian Pacific.... or whichever railroad it was that ran into a parking lot full of cars.

[Z-06]

Maybe it was Mr. Canadian Pacific.... or whichever railroad it was that ran into a parking lot full of cars.

Satty might be one of the 227 considering his love for the vehicle.

[Robert Hall]

Didn't realize the '10 LaCrosse had been on sale since Sept...still haven't seen one.

[Chicagoland]

Wow, there were still some left over Grand Prixs, a whole 3 of them sold!

G6 sales are up!! Actually, fleet managers love to grab leftovers cheap. The US Navy base where I work just got in a few new G6's, can tell since they have the new fascia. They have spoilers too, just like the last Achievas. BTW: I've seen 2004 Aleros with Military plates on them a few years ago; must have got them in bulk.

[smk4565]

3-series outsold the Cobalt and Aveo combined. And GM delayed the Cruze?

The crossover sales were strong, this is GM's biggest strength right now. But will GM focus on SUVs again and ignore cars like they did in 2002-2005, because SUV trends come and go, small and midsize car sales are always there.

[Drew Dowdell]

3-series outsold the Cobalt and Aveo combined. And GM delayed the Cruze?

The crossover sales were strong, this is GM's biggest strength right now. But will GM focus on SUVs again and ignore cars like they did in 2002-2005, because SUV trends come and go, small and midsize car sales are always there.

Silverado outsold the entire BMW/Mini lineup combined! Why isn't the new 5-series not here yet! </pointless baseless comparison>

You're right! That was fun! I should to that more often!

[regfootball]

I want names of those 227 people who bought the G3.

small town casinos for sweepstakes giveaways

[regfootball]

CTS sales drop is a bit disconcerting

new SRX whips the old (RWD) one....who said RWD mattered

49 Astras sold, hope there is still one left when i am able to buy

[CSpec]

Hm, I guess the formatting got a bit messed up there. Anyway a good month. I agree with reg about the CTS, though.

[gmcbob]

CTS sales drop is a bit disconcerting

new SRX whips the old (RWD) one....who said RWD mattered

49 Astras sold, hope there is still one left when i am able to buy

Yeah, it's a little disappointing to see the CTS drop like that. But it still looks like it outsold the Infiniti G Sedan and it's right in line with Lexus IS sales. As the months go by, I'm seeing more CTS' around Houston, which is cool.

I saw a new GMC Terrain in traffic tonight. I'm still trying to decide if I like it or not.

I'm seeing a lot of new Enclaves on the road here now. It seems like just in the last couple of months Buick Enclaves are popping up in traffic almost daily for me.

[balthazar]

Local dealer had a silver LaCrosse, but it went quick. A black one replaced it- I think it's been there about a week or 2 now. I've seen at least 1 LaC on the road so far, but I really don't notice new cars.

Same dealer has a silver Terrain up on a rack- I find it repulsive... but maybe it's primairily the near 'worm's eye view'.

I have not noticed a '10 SRX out on the road yet.

CTS sales drop was far less than the 3-series drop...

[smk4565]

A problem GM has is after products are on the market a couple years they tend to drop a lot. CTS is no different. When it was brand new, and they advertised it a lot, it sold, then it gets a little dated, ads slow down and sales drop. The winners are the Lambdas, SRX/Terrain/Equinox and 2010 LaCrosse, but look at how bad the old Equinox/Torrent and LaCrosse were. Question is how will the Equinox or LaCrosse be selling in 3 years when the initial buzz is gone. The challenge is to build a car that car sell well for 5 or 6 years in a row.

CTS sales don't surprise me at all. When it came out I said the car was too big/heavy to perform with a 3-series, and the interior/equipment/materials aren't as good as the A6 or 5-series. Plus Cadillac's image isn't as good as the Germans or Lexus.

[smk4565]

CTS sales drop was far less than the 3-series drop...

CTS dropped 27%, 3-series dropped 9%. 3-series dropped 800 units, CTS dropped 1,000 units. The 3-series is still the #1 selling luxury car.

Edited November 4, 2009 by smk4565

[cletus8269]

so lets see... GM sells 1000 fewer CTS' (that are larger) opposed to bmw's 800 fewer 3 series that are smaller. what does that prove exactly... for that matter a 3 series can be had cheaper than a CTS too.

[alwazir]

I wish if they could give us detailed figures about Non-Core-Brands, like (GM Daewoo, Holden, Opel...so on)

[CARBIZ]

A problem GM has is after products are on the market a couple years they tend to drop a lot. CTS is no different. When it was brand new, and they advertised it a lot, it sold, then it gets a little dated, ads slow down and sales drop. The winners are the Lambdas, SRX/Terrain/Equinox and 2010 LaCrosse, but look at how bad the old Equinox/Torrent and LaCrosse were. Question is how will the Equinox or LaCrosse be selling in 3 years when the initial buzz is gone. The challenge is to build a car that car sell well for 5 or 6 years in a row.

CTS sales don't surprise me at all. When it came out I said the car was too big/heavy to perform with a 3-series, and the interior/equipment/materials aren't as good as the A6 or 5-series. Plus Cadillac's image isn't as good as the Germans or Lexus.

The challenge is to build a vehicle that the jaded press and the know-it-all armchair critics like, then they will STFU and leave GM alone. There was nothing wrong with the OLD Equinox. (Well, other than the cloth seats which were fugly, but that has been a weak link for GM for about 5 years!) Even the truck guy who wrote for the Toyota Star wrote a (grudgingly) glowing piece about the Equinox back in '04 when it came out. He admitted that when he saw the spec sheat (the 'old' engine and other specs) he was immediately prejudicial toward the trucklet, but after driving it for a week in Texas, he decided it was a good package overall everything worked well together.

Let GM focus on pretty door handles and soft plastics you can hump when your wife won't put out (like Chrysler did in the '90s), or vehicles that look great in crash tests or dynometer EPA ratings (like Honda and Toyota do) - that way, the a-holes at CR will love the vehicle.

[CaddyXLR-V]

The challenge is to build a vehicle that the jaded press and the know-it-all armchair critics like, then they will STFU and leave GM alone. There was nothing wrong with the OLD Equinox. (Well, other than the cloth seats which were fugly, but that has been a weak link for GM for about 5 years!) Even the truck guy who wrote for the Toyota Star wrote a (grudgingly) glowing piece about the Equinox back in '04 when it came out. He admitted that when he saw the spec sheat (the 'old' engine and other specs) he was immediately prejudicial toward the trucklet, but after driving it for a week in Texas, he decided it was a good package overall everything worked well together.

Let GM focus on pretty door handles and soft plastics you can hump when your wife won't put out (like Chrysler did in the '90s), or vehicles that look great in crash tests or dynometer EPA ratings (like Honda and Toyota do) - that way, the a-holes at CR will love the vehicle.

Right, the old Equinox was perfect, with it's 185hp Chinese built engine and all. Yet your so against Japanese cars, while saying there's nothing wrong with a Chinese engine Equinox. I'm sure you were telling everyone in the 80's that there was nothing wrong with a Citation either.

[Drew Dowdell]

Any day of the week, I'd take the "old" drive train in the previous 'Nox over the "high-tech" drive train of the '04 CR-V I'm driving.

[regfootball]

the old equinox was bad. bad powertrain, bad interior.

[gm4life]

Well I happen to like my Torrent alot. No the powertrain is not high tech but it gets respectable fuel economy and drives nice. Anyways good month for the General I just hope they can keep it up.

Edited November 4, 2009 by gm4life

[Drew Dowdell]

the old equinox was bad. bad powertrain, bad interior.

Compared to what? I'll give you that the pre-MCE interior was pretty lame, but the powertrain wasn't bad. It had more power than any 4-cylinder import cute-ute, a 5-speed auto, and got comparable fuel economy despite the larger engine. I can personally attest that the CR-V fuel economy should never be portrayed as "miserly".

For the reduction in utility, size, comfort, and power, the CR-V holds no distinct advantage over an Avalanche in economy.

[pow]

I'm sure you were telling everyone in the 80's that there was nothing wrong with a Citation either.

This.

[A Horse With No Name]

Any day of the week, I'd take the "old" drive train in the previous 'Nox over the "high-tech" drive train of the '04 CR-V I'm driving.

Methinks it will be cool when you and Albert can trade that dog in on something better...new Malibu perhaps?

Chris

[Drew Dowdell]

Methinks it will be cool when you and Albert can trade that dog in on something better...new Malibu perhaps?

Chris

It'll probably be a new Equinox sometime late next year. He "needs" an "suv" to get the 7 miles to his job and back.

[Drew Dowdell]

Right, the old Equinox was perfect, with it's 185hp Chinese built engine and all. Yet your so against Japanese cars, while saying there's nothing wrong with a Chinese engine Equinox. I'm sure you were telling everyone in the 80's that there was nothing wrong with a Citation either.

Sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of the Honda CRV screaming at 6,000 rpm to produce a paltry 160hp.

The '05 Equinox makes 50 ft.lbs more torque than even a 2009 CR-V and does it 400rpm lower. There's no need to wait for v'tec to kicketh in yo.

[Robert Hall]

Sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of the Honda CRV screaming at 6,000 rpm to produce a paltry 160hp.

The '05 Equinox makes 50 ft.lbs more torque than even a 2009 CR-V and does it 400rpm lower. There's no need to wait for v'tec to kicketh in yo.

You would probably appreciate the VTEC more if you had 'Type R' badging, a single yellow wiper, some lighted windshield washer nozzles, the special large tail pipe tip, and a wing or two...

[Drew Dowdell]

You would probably appreciate the VTEC more if you had 'Type R' badging, a single yellow wiper, some lighted windshield washer nozzles, the special large tail pipe tip, and a wing or two...

or three?

No, I doubt I'd ever appreciated vtec. My "ideal" engine is the direct opposite of Vtec... an LT-1.

I want something that hits peak torque at about 750 rpm.

[Z-06]

CAR and DRIVER review of 2005 Equinox from April 2004. Somehow it got lost in translation of being a truly under developed and thrashed vehicle in 2009 to a point of being a whipping kid of Journalists, Enthusiasts, GM fans you name it.

This doesn't happen often, but in the case of Chevy's new sport-ute, the Equinox, we can boil down its essence to a single, simple word: painless. Perhaps Chevy was hoping for something a little more enthusiastic, like, maybe, fantastic or brilliant. But the Equinox, which doesn't deserve to earn the unfortunate but inevitable nickname "Eek," is not the blood-boiling type, and that's exactly as it should be. Rather, its mission is suburban errand runner, a job where convenience and competence are more appreciated than flair. Considering that, painless is good.

Up front is the dash that every designer at GM should study. We're not talking Audi TT cool here, but it's simple, clean, and highly functional—attributes that don't apply to many GM interiors. The main gauges are a cinch to read at a quick glance, and the radio is at the right height. The manual HVAC controls glide through their motions, and unlike many automatic systems, they don't require a night-school course to operate.

Underhood we find a GM mainstay, the 3.4-liter pushrod V-6 (185 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque), and a new five-speed automatic transmission. The engine's roots date to 1980, but it's been continually updated, and when combined with the new five-speed, it's hard to argue with the way it works. The shifting action is as smooth and unobtrusive as a BMW's, and there's always a prompt response to calls for more power.

Even though the Equinox weighs a considerable 3860 pounds, its acceleration times (0 to 60 in 8.3 seconds and to 100 mph in 31.6) are above average in its class. More important, the engine never feels taxed or overworked and is plenty smooth. The engine note—an initial deep growl that blends into a high-pitched whine as the rpm increase—isn't what we'd call pleasing, but it isn't thrashy.

There's a weird combination in the handling, too. On one hand, poking around parking lots and city streets is a breeze. The Eek feels agile, responsive, and smaller than it is. Push it on some twisties, though, and the agility gives way to pronounced body roll and a holler of "Uncle!" If you're up to stomaching some body roll, you can hustle it around fairly quickly, but it's not fun.

Then again, we never said fun, we said painless. And here, the Equinox shines with some well-designed details. The rear doors are huge and open to just shy of 90 degrees, so it's easy to get in and out. The front seats are at chair height, so there's no climbing or stooping to get inside. The interior materials feel durable. The front cowl is low, the view out expansive. The electric power steering is light at parking-lot speeds.

It's those carefully designed details that allow us to forgive a few shortcomings. For one, it should be noted that the barely longer Explorer is available with a third-row seat that is not offered in the Equinox. We also noticed an annoying amount of wind noise around the A-pillars, and the speaker in the right-front door buzzed even when the radio was turned off. And why did Chevy soil an otherwise attractive exterior with a six-inch-wide shiny gold bow tie on the liftgate? Is that supposed to be bling?

True, our house is packed full of enthusiasts, but that doesn't mean we can't appreciate a car for the way it fulfills its mission. And like Toyota's Camry, the Equinox is one of those vehicles. If you want the sporting version of this vehicle, go to the Saturn store and check out the Vue Red Line. But for those looking for something decently priced, practical, and yes, painless, Chevy's got your ride.

[CARBIZ]

Right, the old Equinox was perfect, with it's 185hp Chinese built engine and all. Yet your so against Japanese cars, while saying there's nothing wrong with a Chinese engine Equinox. I'm sure you were telling everyone in the 80's that there was nothing wrong with a Citation either.

No, I worked at a P-B-GMC dealer in '82 and the X-cars were POS, plain and simple. But then, so was everything else. The K-car was probably the best all around affordable car on the road at the time: roomy, decent on gas, didn't rot out, reasonably dependable and cheap as hell to fix when they did break down. The Chevettes of their day were more dependable than the X-cars. I had the misfortune of driving a Fairmont wagon fairly frequently, and they stalled all the time. I also happened into a garage when a 240 ZX Datsun was put up on a hoist and the wheels stayed on the ground - a fairly common experience at the time the mechanic told. The early Tercels had serious rust problems: the liftgates literally dissolved in 4 or 5 years. Resale on those was zero!

The '80s are best forgotten by all manufacturers: it was a time of great upheaval in the industry and nobody knew quite how to handle the triple whammy of government controls, oil shocks and emerging technologies( ABS, 4 spd autos, fuel injection, etc.) Fortunately, by the early '90s, most of the kinks were worked out and cars began to get better again.

But the jaded media only remembers the Citation and Cimaron.....

And this leads us to the mess we are in today: GM pissed off 5 milion people a year in the '80s, while Honda only pissed off 800,000. Besides, how many things were there to go wrong in a '88 Civic, typically sold with a 5 spd manual and no a/c? Even then automatic transmission and a/c was pretty common on the J-cars, Escorts and K-cars of their day.

Here's a common scenario: punk in waiting gets his drivers license in 1985, is forced at gunpoint to drive his mother's 5 year old 1980 Citation. Hates it. It's a rust bucket, gutless and embarassing to drive. The power windows keep quitting (early door seals were bad on all cars), the a/c never worked and he hates the automatic. Finally out of college, he gets a full time job bagging groceries, springs for a brand new '90 Civic, 5 spd no a/c. Hey, the car is kind of fun to drive, never gives him any troubles. (Well, it is 10 years newer, newer technology and there is very little to break on it!) He drives the car for five years, lands a job working for R&T, copy writing. He gets a bit more money, buys a new '96 Beemer 3-series, because isn't that what all the sheeple are buying these days? Gosh, that's a nice car - much better than that POS Citation. Gets the chance to drive a '87 Lumina: hates the auto, hates the linear dash, hates the 'mushy' ride. Presto, GM builds $h! and he writes accordingly.

Sound familiar?

[A Horse With No Name]

It'll probably be a new Equinox sometime late next year. He "needs" an "suv" to get the 7 miles to his job and back.

Hey, I'm a small car guy and I love the Equinox. Great looking vehicle, IMHO.

An SUV in Pittsburg probably actually makes sense, as you have enough hills, etc...

And here in the midwest we do have some nasty winters.

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

Actually I had an X car of the Buick flavor and it wasn't bad at all.

And my girlfriend at the time (now my wife) drove a Citation. Not great cars...but not bad either. We could have done a lot worse.

The early Z cars are amoung my fav. cars...but outside of the dry southwest they all turned to iron oxide quicker than they could turn a corner. Def. not a car for a midwestern winter.

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

Sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of the Honda CRV screaming at 6,000 rpm to produce a paltry 160hp.

There's no need to wait for v'tec to kicketh in yo.

Try driving it with your pants around your knees and KORN on the stereo. Your not doing it right...yo.

Oh, and put the seatback all the way back to get the ghetto lean, yo.

Chris

[CARBIZ]

CAR and DRIVER review of 2005 Equinox from April 2004. Somehow it got lost in translation of being a truly under developed and thrashed vehicle in 2009 to a point of being a whipping kid of Journalists, Enthusiasts, GM fans you name it.

There are 3 main problems with the media, vis-a-vis Detroit today:

1) Revisionist history, especially for the just out of college kids writing for the major newspapers, magazines. They look at a vehicle through the lens of hindsight and don't have enough knowledge or respect (except some rather badly written books) about how or why Detroit got to where it is. They probably remember their mother's Citation and hated it. (Well, my mother's '67 Newport was a rustbucket, too when I was forced to drive it to school in '77 - that doesn't mean I hated Chrysler in the '80s just because....!)

2) Social liberals in general hate themselves, the West and especially the United States. Europeans (especially the Brits) are the evil of all and should be punished. That includes General Motors, which being the #1 corporation in the world for 70 some-odd years AND making those nasty pollution spewing contraptions makes it an easy target for the so-called green movement. The fact that General Motors is very good at making large trucks incenses the green movement even more!

3) Tyranny of the enthusiasts. When Toyota had to come out with a 240hp minivan and showed it on the salt flats skidding sideways in their ads, you just knew something was out of whack.

I remember the media was generally optimistic about the original Equinox, which came into production 5 1/2 years ago. How does it stack up against the small utes of today? It doesn't, but then it shouldn't. Each generation should be better than the last. The original Rav4 was a joke, but I don't recall seeing any recent media pieces trashing that initial offering by Toyota when they drive Toyota's new Rav4.

[Robert Hall]

He gets a bit more money, buys a new '96 Beemer 3-series, because isn't that what all the sheeple are buying these days? Gosh, that's a nice car - much better than that POS Citation. Gets the chance to drive a '87 Lumina: hates the auto, hates the linear dash, hates the 'mushy' ride. Presto, GM builds $h! and he writes accordingly.

Sound familiar?

The Lumina came out for MY '90, I thought. '87 would have been the Celebrity, equally dull and mediocre as the Lumina. Those cars were below average, not as good as the Taurus or others midsize FWD of the day. The '96 3 series was pretty nice, btw (I used to have a '96 M3).

[Robert Hall]

Actually I had an X car of the Buick flavor and it wasn't bad at all.

And my girlfriend at the time (now my wife) drove a Citation. Not great cars...but not bad either. We could have done a lot worse.

The early Z cars are amoung my fav. cars...but outside of the dry southwest they all turned to iron oxide quicker than they could turn a corner. Def. not a car for a midwestern winter.

Chris

Z as in Datsun Z? I haven't seen an older one in ages...but I remember the first time I came to Arizona (1980) seeing a lot of them..between '80 and '90 my sister had 4 of 'em... ('77, '81, '85, '90).

[Robert Hall]

Hey, I'm a small car guy and I love the Equinox. Great looking vehicle, IMHO.

An SUV in Pittsburgh probably actually makes sense, as you have enough hills, etc...

And here in the midwest we do have some nasty winters.

Chris

Yes, I drove SUVs for 14 winters NE Ohio, SE Michigan and Colorado. I'd want an SUV for a winter daily driver anywhere that gets snow and nasty stuff...I like the ground clearance and traction.

Rob

Edited November 5, 2009 by Cubical-aka-Moltar

[smk4565]

Hey, I'm a small car guy and I love the Equinox. Great looking vehicle, IMHO.

An SUV in Pittsburg probably actually makes sense, as you have enough hills, etc...

And here in the midwest we do have some nasty winters.

Chris

I tend to think the opposite about an SUV in Pittsburgh. Because we have so many hills and windy roads, I think a car is better. The engine has to work more to lug an SUV up a hill, and they body roll more in turns. But SUVs are terribly over rated in my opinion, cars are faster, handle better, ride better, brake better, steer better.

Even here we have bad snow maybe 5 times a year, and the other 360 days you don't need awd. And if you think you actually need awd, then there must be 50 cars that offer it

Edited November 5, 2009 by smk4565

[Drew Dowdell]

Hey, I'm a small car guy and I love the Equinox. Great looking vehicle, IMHO.

An SUV in Pittsburg probably actually makes sense, as you have enough hills, etc...

And here in the midwest we do have some nasty winters.

Chris

My driveway is extremely steep. AWD is rather important. With the CTS, I had to run the snowblower if I wanted to go anywhere.... but at least with the CTS, it was worth it.

[Drew Dowdell]

I tend to think the opposite about an SUV in Pittsburgh. Because we have so many hills and windy roads, I think a car is better. The engine has to work more to lug an SUV up a hill, and they body roll more in turns. But SUVs are terribly over rated in my opinion, cars are faster, handle better, ride better, brake better, steer better.

Even here we have bad snow maybe 5 times a year, and the other 360 days you don't need awd. And if you think you actually need awd, then there must be 50 cars that offer it

I agree with you about not needing an SUV, but AWD is a major advantage for us because we live perched up on top of a steep hill. I'd like to see him get an AWD sedan or coupe, but he likes what he likes. It's his vehicle, so if he wants a cute-ute, that's what we'll get him.

He likes the look of the Equinox, but just saw his first Terrain tonight. He thought it looks very expensive, like Cadillac money, and was surprised when I told him it was only marginally more than the 'Nox..... so we may have a bit of shopping to do now.

[gm4life]

I agree with you about not needing an SUV, but AWD is a major advantage for us because we live perched up on top of a steep hill. I'd like to see him get an AWD sedan or coupe, but he likes what he likes. It's his vehicle, so if he wants a cute-ute, that's what we'll get him.

He likes the look of the Equinox, but just saw his first Terrain tonight. He thought it looks very expensive, like Cadillac money, and was surprised when I told him it was only marginally more than the 'Nox..... so we may have a bit of shopping to do now.

Well Terrain or Equinox, no matter what you get we want photos! Thanks for sticking up for the Equinox/Torrent, I happen to like mine with the MCE it was alot nicer interior. Also the exhaust note isn't too bad either.

Also are you going to do the 3.0L DI V6 or 2.4L DI I4?

Edited November 5, 2009 by gm4life

[Drew Dowdell]

Well Terrain or Equinox, no matter what you get we want photos! Thanks for sticking up for the Equinox/Torrent, I happen to like mine with the MCE it was alot nicer interior. Also the exhaust note isn't too bad either.

Also are you going to do the 3.0L DI V6 or 2.4L DI I4?

Haven't driven either to make a decision, but probably lean towards the I4. The way we use the CRV we don't really need more than that. I much rather spend the money on amenities.

[smk4565]

I agree with you about not needing an SUV, but AWD is a major advantage for us because we live perched up on top of a steep hill. I'd like to see him get an AWD sedan or coupe, but he likes what he likes. It's his vehicle, so if he wants a cute-ute, that's what we'll get him.

He likes the look of the Equinox, but just saw his first Terrain tonight. He thought it looks very expensive, like Cadillac money, and was surprised when I told him it was only marginally more than the 'Nox..... so we may have a bit of shopping to do now.

Terrain is ugly. But if you need awd, there is the Fusion, Taurus, MKZ, MKS, Milan, Impreza, Legacy/Outack, SX4, Lancer/Evo, CTS, 3-series, C-class, G37, TL, RL, 5-series, E-class, 300, Charger, A3, A4, A5, A6, TT, IS, GS, STS, 9-3, S40, V50, V70, S80, Passat, Matrix, LaCrosse, M35x, and Nissan GT-R.

[Drew Dowdell]

Terrain is ugly. But if you need awd, there is the Fusion, Taurus, MKZ, MKS, Milan, Impreza, Legacy/Outack, SX4, Lancer/Evo, CTS, 3-series, C-class, G37, TL, RL, 5-series, E-class, 300, Charger, A3, A4, A5, A6, TT, IS, GS, STS, 9-3, S40, V50, V70, S80, Passat, Matrix, LaCrosse, M35x, and Nissan GT-R.

I like the looks of both the 'Nox and Terrain, but it's not my call. I'm not going to tell him what car to get... just the ones he can pick from. (He's known me long enough to know that he'll never again own a non-GM car.... he's fine with that)

I told him he can have any vehicle we can afford that GM makes. So, barring his sudden lust for an SRX, I'm guessing the 'Nox or Terrain will be the winner....

unless I can sway him into a CTS wagon AWD.... but I doubt that'll happen.

[Justin Bimmer]

Calling the vehicle ugly is ok, but really it shouldn't be a main reason why not to buy a car if somebody else likes the styling. Styling is subjective.

[regfootball]

Calling the vehicle ugly is ok, but really it shouldn't be a main reason why not to buy a car if somebody else likes the styling. Styling is subjective.

or me, to buy a car (aztek) in spite of its styling.

boi- the terrain is best in class right now and its a great looking machine inside and out. to anyone who thinks the old equinox was all peaches and cream, just sit in look at and drive the old eek and then proceed to the new twins.

i really cant wait to drive a simple fwd 4 popper terrain myself.

alas though, the awd you really use it fully a handful of days a year, but you ante up for it because it makes life a whole lot easier and safer on those few days. you are making the car payment anyways, its a wise investment to cover your risk of unhappiness by spending a few more bucks to get the security of the awd.

myself i'd like too see a direct injection 2.6 200 hp four in the eq/terrain.