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Back in December of 2009 Ed Whitacre was appointed interim CEO of GM.  Whitacre ruffled his features and a major change in upper management took place including the appointment of Mark Reuss President of GM North America & Susan Docherty Chief of US Sales as well as Whitacre removing the “interim” before his name.  Now that musical chairs are finished & everyone knows who’s in what chair let’s see how GM does in 2010.  Stability was the word of the day from Whitacre, stating that that’s what GM needs right now & that “stability” was him!  Since Whitacre’s appointment & ascension to a more permanent title, he marks the last of the 3 Detroit Motor-groups to be run by a “automotive newcomer”.  Ford CEO Alan Mulally is a former Boeing executive & Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne a former lawyer/accountant, and now Whitacre a former AT&T CEO and even had ties to ExxonMobil.

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One of GM’s plans has already gone a muck…
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GM is trying to push the Cadillac franchise in the larger city/metropolitan areas & pulling from the smaller less populated areas.  GM has been trying to bring it’s struggling luxury brand up to par with other brands like Mercedes, BMW & Lexus which all have this targeted market strategy.  Very soon we could see only about 500 Cadillac Dealerships, down from 1400+.    Dealers who lost their Cadillac brand and new potential homes for the brand have not been taking well to this latest push sending Cadillac into turmoil.

2010 Honda Civic GX 2010 Honda Civic GX MSRP $25,340 MPG 36HWY / 24City The Civic GX burns natural gas & has made the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy’s “Greenest Cars” list.

2010 Toyota Prius 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid MSRP $21,400-28-070 MPG 48HWY / 51City The Prius is a Hybrid with very low emissions @ city speed limits and also having excellent MPG on the highway as well.

2010 Honda Civic Hybrid 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid MSRP $23,800 MPG 45HWY / 40City Despite sales of the Civic Hybrid being way down this year it is still one of the most popular hybrids on the market.

Smart ForTwo 2010 Smart ForTwo MSRP $11,990 – $20,990 MPG 41 Hwy / 33 City The small ForTwo earns its MPG ratings the old fashioned way. It’s very very small and light. Seating for only two& is powered by a 1.0L 3 cylinder engine.

2010 Honda Insight 2010 Honda Insight MSRP $19,800 – $21,300 MPG 43 Hwy / 40 City The Insights’ direct competitor is the Toyota Prius.  It’s not quite as fuel efficient but it’s still better on gas than most other cars in its’ class.

GM Chairman Whitacre says 100 or more dealerships are to be re-opened due to new legislation signed by President Obama in December.  New law states that dealers who lost their GM franchise have 6 months to appeal.

GM is also trying to push remodels of dealerships across the nation.  They ARE offering to pay but with a few catches & guidelines…one particular being that they will stall payment to the dealership as long as 5-10 years.

Among all these changes GM is having dealers separate brands into their own areas within the building & for larger higher selling dealers move brands into their own building.  If they comply with the changes mucho cash rewards could be in their future & of course if they don’t…

GM’s Basic Remodel Plan:

Chevrolet:
• Blue entryway outside
• Canopy inside to designate reception area
• & More…
Buick-GMC:
• Brushed-metal arch over entry
• Greeter desk inside backed by similar arch
• Tan tile floor
• & More…
Cadillac:
• Indiana limestone exterior
• Black tile and a hotel like reception desk
• & More…
Single stores with multiple GM franchises:
• Chevrolet-style entryways
Sourced from GM Representatives

GMAC has announced more losses on top of the already three government bailout.  The fourth quarter of 2009 brings a whopping  $5 Billion Loss!!  They refuse to sell off portions of the company like ResCap a housing mortgage division despite that market crash.  GMAC is best known for its’ car loans to the auto industry.

The Numbers:

- Lost $2.5 Billion in 3rd & 4th Quarter of 2008
- Received $7.5 Billion from the government @ the end of 2008
- Lost more than $5 Billion in the first 9 months of 2009