GM Strike May Affect Buyers of Crossover Vehicles, According to Edmunds; AutoObserver.com
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SANTA MONICA, Calif.--Edmunds.com:
What: As of 11AM Eastern this morning, the United Auto Workers were walking the picket line in a strike against General Motors. The contract officially expired Sept. 14, though negotiations continued until today when the union ordered a strike. The primary open issue is job security, particularly related to plants like those in Fairfax, Kansas; Spring Hill, Tennessee; and Lordstown, Ohio, that have no future product planned, according to Edmunds’ AutoObserver.com.
“A strike is good for no one: not for GM, the UAW, the Detroit area and other GM towns, nor the global economy. But, the economy and car market are relatively soft, and GM has a reasonable stockpile of inventory – companywide, the average is 87 days’ worth, above the industry norm of 60-65 days,” reported Edmunds’ AutoObserver.com Senior Editor Michelle Krebs.
However, GM has had some sales momentum in specific segments, and shoppers interested in those vehicles may have a harder time finding what they want at last week’s prices.
Following is a summary of GM vehicles with the lowest dealer inventory:
| Make | Model |
Days To Turn(a) |
Average MSRP
August 2007 |
|||
| Buick | Enclave | 20 | $38,774 | |||
| GMC | Acadia | 24 | $36,802 | |||
| Saturn | Sky | 31 | $27,039 | |||
| Saturn | VUE | 42 | $23,573 | |||
| Chevrolet | Impala | 44 | $23,337 | |||
| Chevrolet | Corvette | 49 | $58,661 | |||
| Pontiac | G6 | 52 | $21,874 | |||
| Pontiac | Grand Prix | 54 | $22,760 |
Following is a summary of dealer inventory averages for some of GM’s best-selling vehicles:
| Make | Model |
Days To Turn(a) |
Total Volume
August 2007 |
Avg MSRP |
||||
| Chevrolet | Silverado 1500 | 82 | 37,985 | $32,158 | ||||
| Chevrolet | Impala | 44 | 24,929 | $23,337 | ||||
| Chevrolet | Cobalt | 61 | 20,814 | $16,196 | ||||
| Pontiac | G6 | 52 | 16,730 | $21,874 | ||||
| Chevrolet | Equinox | 81 | 13,186 | $25,210 | ||||
| Chevrolet | HHR | 93 | 12,886 | $19,686 | ||||
| GMC | Sierra 1500 | 81 | 12,304 | $33,622 | ||||
| Chevrolet | Malibu | 81 | 12,099 | $19,520 | ||||
| Chevrolet | TrailBlazer | 84 | 11,850 | $30,783 |
(a) “Days to turn” measures how many days on average it took to sell vehicles after they arrived at dealerships. The averages reflected here represent August sales trends.
“Those planning to buy a GM vehicle should act quickly before the inventory dwindles down and negotiations become challenging as demand exceeds supply,” said Philip Reed, consumer advice editor for Edmunds.com.
To read the Edmunds’ AutoObserver.com story “UAW's Gettelfinger: General Motors "Pushed Us Into a Strike"” please visit http://www.autoobserver.com/2007/09/general-motors-.html#more.
