JANUARY USA SALES - GM - Best January in seven year with some models up significantly.

• Chevrolet up 20 percent with Silverado up 25 percent
• GMC up 29 percent as every truck and crossover posts gains
• Cadillac up 3 percent driven by XTS, Escalade

General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) dealers in the United States delivered 202,786 vehicles last month for the company’s best January sales in seven years. Total sales were up 18 percent compared to a year ago. Retail sales were up 14 percent and fleet deliveries were up 32 percent.

“Consumers feel very good because more people are working, the U.S. economy is expanding and fuel prices are low,” said Kurt McNeil, U.S. vice president of Sales Operations. “Consumer and commercial demand for trucks and crossovers is really driving our business, and our move into the small crossover segment with the Chevrolet Trax and Buick Encore, and mid-size pickups with the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, was well-timed.”

Year-over-year pickup deliveries increased 42 percent, following last month’s 43 percent increase. Large pickup sales were up 22 percent and more than 8,000 all-new mid-size trucks were delivered. GM is the only U.S.-based automaker competing in this segment.

Sales of crossovers and SUVs were up 36 percent year over year, with the Chevrolet Equinox and Traverse, the GMC Terrain and the Buick Encore all posting their highest January sales ever. Chevrolet will unveil a redesigned Equinox at the Chicago Auto Show on February 12.

Highlights (vs. 2014 except as noted)

Chevrolet:

• Chevrolet had its best January total and retail sales since 2008.
• Silverado deliveries increased 25 percent and in just five months, the all-new Colorado has overtaken the Nissan Frontier to become No. 2 in retail market share in the mid-size pickup segment.
• Tahoe sales were up 88 percent, Suburban sales more than doubled and the Traverse was up 89 percent.
• The Chevrolet Cruze, which had its best annual sales ever in 2014, began 2015 with its best January sales ever, as did the Spark.

GMC:

• GMC had its best retail sales since 2004. 
• Sierra sales were up 14 percent.
• Every GMC crossover and SUV saw higher sales: Yukon and Yukon XL sales more than doubled; Terrain was up 25 percent and Acadia was up 8 percent.
• The Canyon had its best January in 10 years following the launch of the all-new model late last year. 

Buick:

• Encore deliveries rose 46 percent for its best January ever.

Cadillac:

• Deliveries of the XTS were up 14 percent.
• Demand for the new Escalade continues to exceed expectations, with deliveries up 149 percent.

Average Transaction Prices (ATPs):    

• ATPs were $34,800, according to J.D. Power PIN estimates through Jan. 25, up $2,400 per unit compared to a year ago.    

Incentives:

• Month over month, GM reduced incentive spending as a percentage of ATPs, according to PIN estimates. The company has had the lowest incentives of all domestic automakers on an ATP basis in 11 of the last 13 months.
• Incentive spending as a percentage of ATPs was 10.5 percent in January, down 0.3 points month over month, while industry average spending was 9.6 percent of ATPs, down 0.7 points. 

Fleet and Commercial:

• Commercial deliveries were up 17 percent, for the 15th consecutive monthly year-over-year increase.  Truck, SUV and crossover deliveries all were higher.
• Sales to government customers were up 27 percent driven by crossover and SUV deliveries, including the new Chevrolet Tahoe Police Pursuit Vehicle.

Industry Sales:

• GM estimates that the seasonally adjusted annual selling rate (SAAR) for light vehicles in January was 16.6 million. 

USA - Buick boss wants next gen Vauxhall/Opel ADAM to wear a Buick badge in the US

Buick's top U.S. executive wants to bolster the brand's U.S. lineup with a rebadged Opel/Vauxhall Adam, which would compete in the market against the Fiat 500 and BMW's Mini brand. But the prospect is likely several years off.

"I've looked at the possibility of fast-tracking that into the Buick range sooner than later," Duncan Aldred, U.S. vice president of Buick and GMC and former boss of Vauxhall, said in a recent interview. "I think it would make a great Buick."

The problem, Aldred said, is that General Motors didn't plan for the U.S. when it engineered the car. It would be "cost prohibitive" to revamp the current-generation Adam for the U.S., though Aldred hinted that any future redesign would be tailored for the states.

The Adam was launched in Europe in early 2013. The next generation would arrive between 2018 and 2020 under a normal product cycle.

With a starting price about $15,500, the Adam is "probably the most premium model in the Opel and Vauxhall range as far as content and materials," Aldred said.

"In terms of changing expectations of the brand, that would be another absolutely jaw-dropping moment for Buick," he said.

In 2013, former GM CEO Dan Akerson lamented that the Adam and the Opel/Vauxhall Cascada convertible had not been engineered with the U.S. in mind. GM is making the investment to gear the Cascada for the U.S., though, with plans for an early 2016 launch.

You can reach Mike Colias

USA recall number tops 60.5 MILLION, yes thats right 60,500,000 and still rising for the year.

U.S. automobile recalls surpassed the 60 million mark for the first time in a single year, largely because of the rush to prevent more deaths from defective General Motors ignition switches and Takata Corp. airbags.

The tally of 60.5 million through today is almost double the previous annual record of 30.8 million recalled vehicles set in 2004, according to an analysis of data on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The number will rise further as recent recalls that have been announced by automakers are recorded in the database.

“I don’t think we’re going to see a year like this for a long time,” said Neil Steinkamp, a managing director at Stout Risius Ross who studies warranty and recall issues.

Recalls may remain above historical levels for a while, he said. The Takata airbag crisis continues to grow, and following its slow response to GM’s ignition-switch defect, NHTSA has been pressuring automakers to recall cars more quickly when evidence of a flaw is discovered, using subpoena power and the threat of $35 million fines as motivation.

“Automakers do not want to be accused of dragging their feet, so they’re very quick to issue a recall” now, said Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst at Autotrader.com. “We’re going to see lots of recalls because cars have gotten so complex and there’s so much sharing of parts by all automakers.”

The flood of recalls hasn’t deterred buyers this year. Light-vehicle sales in the U.S. rose 5.5 percent to 15 million vehicles through November, according to the Automotive News Data Center, and are heading for their biggest total since 2006.

GM, Honda 

GM alone has recalled almost 27 million cars and trucks in the U.S. this year, a record for any single automaker. The company has issued 10 safety actions of more than 1 million vehicles each, according to the NHTSA database. Defective GM ignition switches in small cars have been linked to at least 42 deaths and 58 injuries.

Honda Motor Co., the third-largest Japanese automaker, has recalled 5.4 million vehicles to replace Takata airbags. Exploding Takata airbags have been tied to at least four fatalities in the U.S. and more than 100 injuries caused by shrapnel.

Other recalls of more than 1 million vehicles this year included those related to steering, cruise control, engines and seat belts, according to the NHTSA data, which is compiled from automaker filings to the agency. NHTSA plans to release its official recall numbers for 2014 next year.

The Takata airbag flaw investigation led to the recall of more than 8 million vehicles. Unstable propellant in airbag inflators can cause the devices to explode with too much force and spread shrapnel through the car in a crash. Takata on Nov. 6 widened an annual loss forecast and said it can’t estimate the full financial liability of the defect.

Fiat Chrysler 

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV said Dec. 19 that it would accede to a NHTSA request and expand an existing airbag recall from hot, humid areas of the U.S., where most failures have occurred, to the entire nation. That will add 2.89 million vehicles to the recall total for the U.S. when reflected in the government database.

GM has said its ignition-switch recalls have cost about $2.7 billion through the first three quarters of this year. GM has said the switches, which it knew were defective for more than a decade, can shut off when bumped, disabling the vehicle air bag and increasing the risk of death or injury in a crash.

With the focus on more and quicker recalls, 2014 will probably signify a period of elevated safety fixes, Steinkamp said. The average number of recalled vehicles per year from the 2004 through last year was 16.1 million, according to NHTSA data.

“It’s a landmark year; it’s the start of a new era,” he said.

REPORT HERE