General Motors to Stop Monthly U.S. Sales Calls
In move sure to disappoint industry analysts and journalists alike (us included), General Motors will no longer hold monthly calls regarding their sales in the United States.
According to GM spokesman Jim Cain, ending the monthly U.S. sales call would allow his employer to focus on “conferences and other forums that allow us to discuss our [global] strategy and our results with a long-term view and in a very holistic way,” as well as how each of their individual markets fit into the strategy without getting lost in the details. This move puts them in line with their friends in Auburn Hills, who also opt out of such calls; Ford and Toyota will continue to pick up the phone.
Cain did assure analysts and journalists that GM would still issue their monthly sales notes, however; December’s U.S. deliveries fell 6.3 percent from 2012, while its shares closed at $39.57, falling 3.4 percent in the largest decline since August 27 of last year. Meanwhile, 38 percent of the automaker’s sales originate outside of North America, with China being their largest market by sales volume.
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Well, this is not ideal. But I hope we can still get sales data each month. That is kind of a "post facto" way of determining what happens, but better than nothing. ------------------
with all their hyperbole and double speak combined with borderline nefarious excuses, eliminating these useless conferences does everyone justice.
That second paragraph reeks of PowerPoint speak. Must find antidote syringe now!
On the one hand, this seems like a strange and unnecessary move. But it's in keeping with other GM moves over the last few years. The amount of info they give out in quarterly earnings presentations has gone way down, too. What makes it bizarre is that Ford has gone in the other direction... and who has gotten better press coverage over the last couple of years?