GM Offers Incentives On Newly Introduced Pickups. Were They Priced Too High To Begin With?

TTAC Staff
by TTAC Staff

Usually, in the U.S. pickup truck market, whichever company has the newest truck normally gets a bump in sales. While it’s hard to get Chevy guys into Fords and vice versa, about 6% of the market does shift to the most recently updated pickup because of businesses making decisions based on dollars and cents, not brand loyalty.

General Motors has the newest trucks on the block in the 2014 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, but in a growing overall market GM’s pickup trucks last month saw an annual decline in sales. Some analysts say that GM priced their new pickups, a key profit generator for the company, too high. Supply issues with parts for the 5.3 liter V8 have also restricted sales. An analyst at Morgan Stanley, cited by Automotive News, also attributed the September decline to “stair step programs” for dealers and other incentives that were offered in August which pulled sales forward. Now, GM is taking the rare step of offering incentives on recently introduced vehicles, the new pickups, apparently to compete with heavily discounted trucks at Ford and Ram.

Year to year sales of GM’s full size pickup trucks were down 8% in September. The new 2014 models made up 60% of sales as they move out remaining stock of 2013 trucks, which the company says are dwindling. Overall GM sales were down 11%, attributed to slower sales of Chevrolet vehicles and a steep drop in rental-fleet delieveries.

Now GM has told dealers that for October the company will give customers $1,000 cash rebates on the 2014 Silverado, along with $500 in incentives on premium trim packages like the Texas and All Star editions. There is also a “sales manager bonus program” that gives dealers $200 when they sell particular Silverados. Kurt McNeil, GM’s vice president of U.S. sales operations, confirmed the incentives to AN.

The early production mix has favored V8 models with more expensive trim and equipment and McNeil said that sales should get better as dealers get more V6 powered trucks and less expensive option packages. Some dealers have complained that after early adopters and loyal GM truck owners bought their trucks when they first came out, the new models have become a harder sell because of the discounts at Ford and Ram.

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  • Jeff S Jeff S on Oct 06, 2013

    @Big Al--If GM is going to rely on Colorado/Canyon then they need to have a higher quality product priced competitively and offer the diesel as an option. Over pricing and then offering large discounts is not a sustainable practice. Price the truck fairly and offer a good quality product and stand behind the service of your product. What Highdesert Cat has said about his experiences with a Saturn is a lesson that every manufacture should learn from and not repeat. Saturn started out with a quality product and then cheapened it. GM needs to put more emphasis on quality and reliability and less emphasis in gaining back its Number 1 position from Toyota. Make a good quality and fairly priced vehicle and the customers will buy your product.

    • Big Al from Oz Big Al from Oz on Oct 07, 2013

      @Jeff S The problem with GM is a legacy of the 'Old Detroit' culture. Selling the most isn't necessarily the best. Maybe GM think if they can flood the market with their product it leaves less room for a competitor. But this will come back to bit them, like subsidisation, sooner or later it has to stop and reality will strike. Lou mentioned that the GM siblings are nothing spectacular, sort of Toyota'ish. I think even Toyota will begin a slow and gradual decline. Nothing is forever, especially the way GM is heading. The Big 3 have painted themselves into a corner in the US and are to reliant on the one style of vehicle....the full size pickup. What has maketh them will breaketh them. The US really needs to modernise it system of tariffs and barriers and match what others are doing or it will continue to import external technologies.

  • Lou_BC Lou_BC on Oct 07, 2013

    @Jeff S - I agree. GMC is in trouble with the new Sierra and Silverado if they have to offer rebates right off the start. New models tend to have rebates at the end of the year to help clear out old inventory. That would mean 2015 for the 2014's. The Colorado had better be stellar because the new 1/2 tons aren't. I do like both of the 2014 GM siblings but nothing really makes me go WOW. The 5.3 is close to the 5.0 in power, the body is a huge step up only to the GMT900's. Disc brakes in the rear isn't new. A 6.5 box crew cab isn't new either. I'd like to see minimal overlap with the GMC 1/2 tons. The high end Colorado should be comparably priced to a mid level Silverado/Sierra. I's like to see Colorado in a Raptor type package. Ram has the HD Power Wagon, Ford has the 1/2 ton Raptor, and GMC should have the small truck off-roader. The Tacoma Baja isn't extreme enough in my books to count.

  • ArialATOMV8 All I hope is that the 4Runner stays rugged and reliable.
  • Arthur Dailey Good. Whatever upsets the Chinese government is fine with me. And yes they are probably monitoring this thread/site.
  • Jalop1991 WTO--the BBB of the international trade world.
  • Dukeisduke If this is really a supplier issue (Dana-Spicer? American Axle?), Kia should step up and say they're going to repair the vehicles (the electronic parking brake change is a temporary fix) and lean on or sue the supplier to force them to reimburse Kia Motors for the cost of the recall.Neglecting the shaft repairs are just going to make for some expensive repairs for the owners down the road.
  • MaintenanceCosts But we were all told that Joe Biden does whatever China commands him to!
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