gmdecember2008autosales

posts about #gmdecember2008autosales more →
GM December Sales Down 31.4%, Still US Sales Champ

Your version of Internet Explorer is not supported. Please upgrade to the most recent version in order to view comments.

Dsmvwl Admin Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×

dwegmull comments for the purpose of obscurity
01/05/09

In reply to GM December Sales Down 31.4%, Still US Sales Champ
Apparently Buick (tries to) sells a car called the LaSabre (see page 2). I guess even the spell checker has lost faith in Buick...
Reply

Mad_Science
01/05/09

In reply to GM December Sales Down 31.4%, Still US Sales Champ
Can someone clarify how these sales are counted?

Are these sales from GM to dealers, or dealers to customers?

Since they're independent businesses, wouldn't GM's "customer" technically be the dealer?
Reply

Mad_Science was starred Mad_Science was unstarred

danio3834
01/05/09

@Mad_Science: They must mean deliveries to actual private individual buyers. Half the vehicles on the list haven't been manufactured in at least of year so they must have been sitting out behind the trade ins on the dealer lot.
Reply

danio3834 was starred danio3834 was unstarred

DoctorNine
01/05/09

In reply to GM December Sales Down 31.4%, Still US Sales Champ
Wow. I think Lotus sold more than Saab.

Things are getting really weird, boys and girls.
Reply

DoctorNine was starred DoctorNine was unstarred

Saboth
01/05/09

In reply to GM December Sales Down 31.4%, Still US Sales Champ
The list above points out the problem with Domestics IMO. Do we really NEED 36 different car models and 56 different truck/SUV models from ONE company?

How about 10 different well built cars, and 10 different well built trucks? Why waste all those resources, development, etc?
Reply

Saboth was starred Saboth was unstarred

danio3834
01/05/09

@Saboth: GM is one enormous company with huge market share because they offer many different models for many different people.

Contrary to popular belief, one size does not fit all.
Reply

danio3834 was starred danio3834 was unstarred

Mad_Science
01/05/09

In reply to GM December Sales Down 31.4%, Still US Sales Champ
For once, a long press release was kinda fun.

I love seeing sales numbers in the dozens for some of these vehicles. Most are January last-model-year carryovers, but some aren't.

Example: Buick Rendezvous. They sold 3 in December 2008 and 27 all year.

...and I just realized 2007 was the last year. Wow.
Reply

Mad_Science was starred Mad_Science was unstarred

Mad_Science
01/05/09

@Mad_Science: They sold 25 Astros in 2007, even though '05 was the last year.

Crazy.
Reply

Mad_Science was starred Mad_Science was unstarred

petersterncan
01/05/09

In reply to GM December Sales Down 31.4%, Still US Sales Champ
One thing that surprises me in these sales numbers is how badly the Aveo did... down over 60%.

Curious to see how sales of the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris did by comparison.
Reply

petersterncan was starred petersterncan was unstarred

mechimike
01/05/09

@petersterncan: dunno, but the Vibe picked up in sales. That and the CTS, barely. And the Yukon XL did better in December 08 than December 07.
Reply

mechimike was starred mechimike was unstarred

Ash78, cube farmer
01/05/09

In reply to GM December Sales Down 31.4%, Still US Sales Champ
Still waiting for their full-page "Sorry, America: Sorry we printed that ad a couple weeks ago about having built crap. We was just foolin cuz we needed the money. Peace out."
Reply

Ash78, cube farmer was starred

Graverobber
01/05/09

In reply to GM December Sales Down 31.4%, Still US Sales Champ
I'd like to know who it was that took delivery of that one Monte Carlo in December '08.

Why would you even think that was a good idea?
Reply

Graverobber was starred Graverobber was unstarred

FormerlyPreferredCustomer
01/05/09

@graverobber- Happy Nude Year!: Hey, it was a Christmas present for my ladyfriend! Jalop's already posted her pic:

[jalopnik.com]

She was real pleased.
Reply

petersterncan
01/05/09

@graverobber- Happy Nude Year!: It'll be a collector's item... only one sold in that month!
Reply

petersterncan was starred petersterncan was unstarred

The-Simpsons-Rule!!
01/05/09

@FormerlyPreferredCustomer: hahaha that was hilarious!!!
Reply

Graverobber
01/05/09

@petersterncan: Shit, I bet it was the only one sold all year. Do they still make the MC? I thought it went the way of Mickey's Big Mouth and guys named "Cooter."
Reply

Graverobber was starred Graverobber was unstarred

Six Flags Over Tomsk
01/05/09

@graverobber- Happy Nude Year!: I was wondering the same thing about the sole Saturn Ion...
Reply

BlackMage is doing the Time Warp agaaaaaaain!!!
01/05/09

In reply to GM December Sales Down 31.4%, Still US Sales Champ
After realizing this weekend that the second replacement for the cam cover on my '94 Saturn is leaking into the #1 spark plug well, I don't think that I can trust a GM vehicle again.

Not that my family's experience with Ford is any better. My parents' '99 Windstar has had numerous problems, most notably that the transmission decided to fall apart just past 30,000 miles. Keep in mind that car is driven by my mom who accelerates slowly and barely does the speed limit at times. However, with Ford, I'm more willing to trust them with their up and coming vehicles, improving image, and their lack of need for any government "oh shit we shouldn't have made all of those SUV's" bailout money.
Reply

Jim-Bob
01/05/09

@blackmage439: There is an easy fix, but it involves being a man and doing it yourself. I just did a 1994 Saturn SC2 twin cam's valve cover for a similar problem. I had replaced the gasket, but it had filled the spark plug tube with oil...AGAIN. So, I cleaned it all really well with brake parts cleaner, put silicone on the gasket, and put it down straight so as not to smear it, then tightened the cover. Problem solved. Plastic valve covers and intake manifolds are warpage prone, so sometimes it takes a little silicone to compensate.
Reply

Jim-Bob was starred Jim-Bob was unstarred

mechimike
01/05/09

@Jim-Bob: When I lived up north, we used to call leaky valve cover gaskets "winter perma-lube anti-corrosion systems"

If it don't leak when I park it, I don't fix it. If it drips a little, I watch it.
Reply

mechimike was starred mechimike was unstarred

Mr.choppers - Delenda Carthago Est
01/05/09

In reply to GM December Sales Down 31.4%, Still US Sales Champ
What the hell is a Saturn Relay? It disturbs me how many of these cars I cannot even picture.

And who bought a brand new Chevrolet Monte Carlo in December 2008?
Reply

Mad_Science
01/05/09

@mr.chophoppers: They still make those?

I thought they stopped selling them, on account of the fact that they never sold.
Reply

Mad_Science was starred Mad_Science was unstarred

mechimike
01/05/09

In reply to GM December Sales Down 31.4%, Still US Sales Champ
I'm glad to see the Malibu doing so well. Every time I see one on the street, I turn my head and watch it for a few seconds. Its really a good-looking car, and while I've never sat in or driven one, from second-hand reports I hear they're top notch in those categories as well. Honestly, if I were in the market for a new car in that segment, they'd be the first (and probably last) showroom I'd walk into.

Its also refreshing to see a car company stick with a well-respected name, and endow a good car with a good name. GM's also done that with the Covette, and (hopefully) with the new Camaro.

In continuance of the feel-good for the domestics, I rented a new Fusion recently and it, too was a nice-driving automobile, and a bit of a rocket with its V-6. Now if folks would at least _consider_ a domestic before automatically marching down to Toyonda with their dollars...
Reply

mechimike was starred mechimike was unstarred

muhnkee_2 - Avantime Owner and 100% Jaloper
01/05/09

In reply to GM December Sales Down 31.4%, Still US Sales Champ
thanks guys, until now i was unaware of just how low things had sunk in the world of Saabs - not only did Hummer outsell Saab, but there appears to be a car called a 9-2x for sale under the Saab range that looks a lot like a WRX - what the hell happened there?
Reply

Rick Astley
01/05/09

@muhnkee_2: I remember the awesome $5000 (or was it $6000?) rebate GM was offering on the 2006 9-2x. Is the 9-2x still in the model line?
Reply

Rick Astley was starred Rick Astley was unstarred

Bumblebee
01/05/09

@muhnkee_2: I'd rock a 9-2x in a heartbeat. I believe it is nothing more than a rebadged WRX. Also, it's a hatch (wagon, whatever).
Reply

Bumblebee was starred Bumblebee was unstarred

Ash78, cube farmer
01/05/09

@Rick Astley: Nope....I believe that money was "last call" for the 9-2x. There was a brief while where you could get it cheaper than a WRX, but with twice as nice an interior. Pretty solid deal for the bastard child of GM/Saabaru marketing schemes.

I think I've only seen one or two in my life.
Reply

Ash78, cube farmer was starred

Mad_Science
01/05/09

@The Name's Ash78, Housewares: In fairness, they did a bit more than a re-badge on those.

They had extra sound-deadening material, a nicer interior (until they copied it to the WRX the next year) and a smaller hood scoop.

Aside from being a Subaru, it was more-or-less in-line with Saab spirit (turbo-4, hatch).
Reply

Mad_Science was starred Mad_Science was unstarred

Ash78, cube farmer
01/05/09

@Mad_Science: I wasn't intending to knock the 9-2x. That thing was the best of both worlds: All the Subie's performance, with Saab refinement, comfort, and better looks.
Reply

Ash78, cube farmer was starred

Earlier discussions Other discussions Show all discussions Show featured discussions only Start a new discussion

#gmdecember2008autosales

Jalopnik

SUBSCRIBE TO Jalopnik

GM December Sales Down 31.4%, Still US Sales Champ

Login

Reset Password

Register

Submit Your Comment