General Motor’s Strategies

SECTION
INTRODUCTION

The General Motors Company, also known as GM, is a United States-based automaker with its
headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. The company manufactures cars and trucks in 34 countries ,
recently employed 244,500 people around the world, and sells and services vehicles in some
140 countries.

By sales, GM ranked as the largest U.S. automaker and the worlds second-largest for 2009
having the third-highest 2008 global revenues among automakers on the Fortune Global 500.

General Motors, one of the world’s largest automakers, traces its roots back to 1908. With its
global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 205,000 people in every major region of the world
and does business in some 157 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks
in 31 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac,
Chevrolet, GMC, Daewoo, Holden, Jiefang, Opel, Vauxhall and Wuling. GM’s largest national
market is the United States, followed by China, Brazil, Germany, the United Kingdom, Canada,
and Italy. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and
information services. General Motors acquired operations from General Motors Corporation on
July 10, 2009.

General Motors Corporation (GM) is primarily engaged in the development, production and
marketing of cars, trucks and automobile parts. The company is also engaged in finance and
insurance operations. The company primarily operates in North America, and Europe. It is
headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and employed 266,000 people as on December 2007.
The company recorded revenues of $181,122 million during the financial year (FY) ended
December 2007, a decrease of 11.9% compared with 2006.This was primarily due to de-
consolidation of GMAC following the GMAC Transaction in November 2006. The operating loss
of the company was $4,390 million during FY2007, as compared with an operating loss of
$5,823 million in 2006. The net loss was $38,732 million in FY2007, as compared with the net
loss of $1,978 million in 2005.
 General Motor’s Mission

• Developing a portfolio of future options to internal combustion engines

• Investing dedicated to improving cultural, economic, educational, environmental, and

social aspects of our communities

• Supporting a strong and diverse base of K-12 education programs, especially in science,
mathematics, and business

• Protecting human health, natural resources, and global environment

• Improving vehicle safety for customers, passengers, and other motorists

• Creating environmental, health, and safety reports

• Improving health, safety, diversity, wages, and benefits

 SWOT ANALYSIS OF GENERAL MOTORS

STRENGTHS

 Strong brand portfolio

GM has a strong brand portfolio. The company owns brand names such as Chevrolet and
Cadillac. Chevrolet, the company’s luxury vehicle, sold more than 4.3 million vehicles
worldwide, delivering one out of every 15 vehicles purchased in 2007. Cadillac, GM’s flagship
brand, is another luxury brand.

The company also has a wide portfolio of regional brands. For instance, in North America, the
company sells its products under Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Hummer, Pontiac, Saab, and
Saturn brand names; while in Europe, the company’s brands include Corvette, Opel, and
Vauxhall. Furthermore, in Asia Pacific, the company’s brands include: Buick, Daewoo, Holden,
and Wuling . Moreover Buick and Cadillac are among top brands globally, on par with well-
known brands such as Honda, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota. The company’s strong brand
portfolio spanning the regional as well as the global markets enhances its customer reach
across all automotive markets and gives it significant competitive advantage.

 Growing business in Asia Pacific and Latin America region

General Motors registered strong business growth in the Asia Pacific region (GMAP) as well as
Latin America, African and Middle East regions. The company increased its vehicle unit sales in
the Asia Pacific region by almost 15.1% in 2007, to 1.4 million units from 1.3 million in 2006.
GMAP’s 2007 market share was 6.9%, a 0.4 percentage point increase over 2006 and a 1.0
percentage point increase over 2005. As a result of increased vehicle unit sales, GMAP revenue
rose 39.1% to $15.6 billion in 2007 compared to $11.2 billion in 2006. In Latin America, African
 and Middle East region, the company sold 1.2 million vehicles in 2007, an increase of 19.4%
over 2006, and 40.0% over 2005. This growth led to a 17.2% market share in

GMLAAM, a 0.2 percentage point increase compared to 2006 and a 0.6 percentage point
increase compared to 2005. As a result of increased sales, the company registered a revenue
growth of 37.1% to reach $13.4 billion in 2007 from the revenues of $9.7 billion in 2006.

 Large scale operations

General Motors has large scale facilities for the manufacture, assembly, and distribution
operation of its products. The company has approximately 228 locations operating in 36 states
and 151 cities in the US. Of these, approximately 21 are engaged in the final assembly of GM
cars and trucks, approximately 27 are service parts operations responsible for distribution or
warehousing, and the remaining locations are offices or facilities involved primarily in testing
vehicles or manufacturing automotive components and power products. In addition, the
company also operates in approximately 22 locations in Canada. It also maintains assembly,
manufacturing, distribution, or warehousing operations in 50 other countries, including equity
interests in associated companies which conduct assembly, manufacturing, or distribution
operations. The major facilities outside the US and Canada, which are principally vehicle
manufacturing and assembly operations, are located in: Germany, Australia, China, South
Korea, United Kingdom, Sweden, Thailand, South Africa, Brazil, Belgium, Argentina, India,
Mexico, Spain, and Poland. GM also had approximately 6,776 GM vehicle dealers in the US, 729
in Canada, and 330 in Mexico. Additionally, GM operated approximately 14,052 distribution
outlets throughout the rest of the world for vehicles manufactured by GM and its affiliates.
These outlets include distributors, dealers and authorized sales, service, and parts outlets. Large
scale manufacturing facilities and a wide distribution network allows the company to
strengthen its market position all over the world.
 WEAKNESSES

 Declining market share

General Motors along with Chrysler and Ford lost market share because of increased
competition from Japanese companies in the American and western European automotive
markets. The Big Three’s light vehicles market share in the US (GM, Ford, and Chrysler) is
constantly declined from 53.9% in 2007to 51.7% in 2008. During 2009, the respective market
share of GM, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler were 23.5%, 15.6%, and 12.6% respectively. The
market share of General Motors in fiscal years 2005, 2006, and 2007 stood at 25.9%, 24.2% and
23.5% respectively, showing a continuous declining trend. Further, the new motor vehicle
registrations and new passenger car registrations market share remained flat 9.6% and 10.2% in
2007 as compared to 9.6% and 10.2% in 2006. In addition, the light commercial vehicle market
share of the company (in terms of new registrations) declined from 7.4% in 2006 to 7.2% in
2007. Where as, the light commercial vehicle market share of Japanese competitor Toyota
increased from 2.6% to 3.3% during the same period. The Japanese companies are slowly
closing the gap on the US vehicle manufacturers such as General Motors. If the US vehicle
manufacturers fail to come up with an appropriate competitive response, then Japanese
companies could well capture market leadership in the US and Western European automotive
markets in the coming years.

 Product recalls

General Motors had to recall a number of vehicles in 2007 and 2008 owing to various reasons.
In December 2007, the company’s joint venture in China recalled 7,056 Buick cars in the
country due to front brake problems. The problem was found in some Buick La Crosse sedans
made between March 10, 2006 and March 22, 2007. In the same month, the company recalled
about 313,000 passenger cars and crossover vehicles to fix a fluid leak that could lead to the
driver losing control of the vehicle. The recall involves 275,936 vehicles in the US, including the
2005-2007 Cadillac CTS and STS sedans, 2005-2007 Cadillac SRX crossovers, and 2006-2007
 Pontiac Solstice and the 2007 Saturn Sky convertibles. About 38,000 additional vehicles are
under recall in Mexico, Canada, the Middle East and Asia.

Later, in January 2008, General Motors recalled 86,000 cars sold in Australia, the Middle East,
New Zealand and Brazil because of a risk that an engine bay fuel leak could cause a fire. The
cars made by the company’s subsidiary in 2006 and 2007 are known in Australia and New
Zealand as VE Commodore and WM Commodore, as Chevrolet Lumina and Chevrolet Caprice in
the Middle East and in Brazil, Chevrolet Omega. The recall includes 53,000 cars sold in Australia,
27,000 in the Middle East, 5,000 in New Zealand and 784 in Brazil. In the same month, the
company recalled 15,000 Chevrolet Lumina and Chevrolet Caprice vehicles in the Middle East
made by its Australian subsidiary Holden due a defect that may cause fuel leakage and
potentially a fire. In March 2008, General Motors recalled more than 207,500 Buick and Pontiac
vehicles because of an engine defect that could cause oil leaks and lead to fires. The recall
applies to Buick Regal and Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles with 3.8 liter supercharged V-6 engines,
built between 1997 and 2003. Several product recalls indicate inadequate quality assurance and
quality control systems.

 Declining financial performance

The overall financial performance of the company declined during the FY2007. During 2007, the
revenues of the company declined at a rate of 11.9% to reach $181,122 million in 2007 from
$205,601 million in 2006.This was primarily due to de-consolidation of GMAC following the
GMAC Transaction in November 2006. The operating loss of the company was $4,390 million
during FY2007, as compared with an operating loss of $5,823 million in 2006. The net loss was
$38,732 million in FY2007, as compared with the net loss of $1,978 million in 2006. In addition,
the profit margins of the company also declined significantly. The operating profit margin of the
company declined from 6.7% in 2003 to -2.4% in 2007. The net profit margin of the company
stood at -21.4% in 2007, as compared to the net profit margin of 2.1% in 2003. Further, the
long-term debt of the company has increased to $33,384 million in 2007 from $33,067 million
in 2006. The weakening financial performance would affect the future growth plans of the
company apart from reducing investor confidence in the company.
 OPPORTUNITIES

 Increasing demand for hybrid electric vehicles

Worldwide demand for light hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) is estimated to reach 4.5 million units
in 2013. Rising energy costs and increased emissions regulations are likely to increase demand
for HEVs. The US is expected to experience the highest level of demand for HEVs, estimated at
two million units in 2013. And, it is estimated that 23% of car shoppers plan to purchase a
hybrid vehicle in the next fiscal year. Hybrid engines are more fuel efficient and less polluting
than conventional gasoline and diesel engines. Hybrid engines, already popular in the passenger
car segment, are likely to gain acceptance in heavy vehicle applications such as sports utility
vehicles and commercial vehicles. General Motors is also keen to capitalize on the growing
demand for hybrid electric vehicles. The company witnessed a large amount of money for the
development of hybrid vehicles. For instance, in January 2008, General Motors formed a new
engineering organization dedicated to implementing hybrid and extended- range electric
vehicles (E-REV) and advanced battery technology. Also in January 2008, General Motors
formed a new engineering organization for implementing hybrid and extended- range electric
vehicles (E-REV) and advanced battery technology. The company’s focus on hybrid vehicles is
likely to drive its medium to long term revenue growth.

 Opportunities in emerging markets

China and India are expected to drive the global demand for new cars through 2010. New car
production in China is expected to increase from 6.3 million units in 2007 to 9.4 million units in
2012, while in India, it is forecast to increase from 1.3 million units to 2.5 million units. The
company also took significant steps towards increasing its presence in the Asian markets.

In China, GM operates seven joint ventures and two wholly owned foreign enterprises. One of
its key joint ventures in China includes Shanghai GM, which is a 50-50 joint venture with
Shanghai Automotive Industry (SAIC), a leading passenger car manufacturer in China. Shanghai
GM was formed in 1997. Shanghai GM has a current annual production capacity of around
320,000 vehicles. In April 2007, Shanghai General Motors (Shanghai GM) introduced the Park
 Avenue luxury sedan, a newest member of its Buick lineup. It is expected that the entire Central
and Eastern European (CEE) region will account for approximately 5.5 million units, by 2012.
The company has strong presence in CEE and a growing automotive market in this region is
likely to drive demand for General Motor’s automotive business. With greater presence, the
company is well positioned to tap the opportunities arising from these growing automotive
markets.

 New models

The capital expenditures of the company continued to run at a high level during the last fiscal
year. During 2007, the company incurred a capital expenditure of $7.5 billion to support new
product launches. Further, the company had also announced its plan to spend to $9 billion on
capital investments in 2008, an increase of nearly $1 billion from 2007. During 2008, the
company expects that a significant percentage of its retail sales will come from vehicles
launched in the 2007, such as the Cadillac CTS and the Chevrolet Malibu, Buick Lucerne and
Saturn Aura, fullsize trucks and sport utility vehicles and mid-size crossovers, the Saturn
Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave. In the fourth quarter of 2007, the company launched
two of these vehicles -- the Cadillac CTS and the Chevrolet Malibu, both of which achieved
robust sales volumes as well as significant industry awards, the Chevrolet Malibu receiving the
2008 North America Car of the Year award, and the Cadillac CTS being named the 2008 Motor
Trend Car of the Year. In 2008, the company plans to launch Cadillac CTS and the Chevrolet
Malibu and Pontiac G8 and Chevrolet Traverse. By introducing segment-leading cars and trucks,
the company could improve its brand image and revenues.

THREATS

 Declining demand for light vehicles in US

The US sales of light vehicles have been weak since 2003. The demand for light vehicles (new
cars and trucks) in the US slowed down by 3.4% in 2007 to reach the total number of vehicles to
 16.5 million in 2007 from 17.1 million vehicles in 2006. During 2008, the demand for light
vehicles is further expected to decline by more than 14% to reach the number of vehicle to 14.4
million. In addition to this, the economic situation in the US is weakening. According to the IMF
world economy outlook, The IMF projects that the U.S. GDP growth will slow to 1.5% in 2008,
down from 2.2% in 2007. This in turn could depress consumer spending on vehicles. The
sustained decline in light vehicle sales as a result of increasing durability of vehicles and weak
economic situation in the region will put additional pressure on the overall performance of the
company. Further, the sub prime crisis is rattling the US auto industry, making new car
purchases more difficult for many consumers. The consumers with lower credit scores now face
increased difficulty finding affordable financing as loan delinquencies rise among higher-risk
customers. Some lenders are raising interest rates on vehicle loans, costing consumers
hundreds of dollars in increased payments. A four-year, $20,000 loan at 7% costs the buyer
about $880 more than the same loan at 5%. Subprime mortgage problems could decline car
and truck sales further, with many consumers delaying vehicle purchases or buying lower-
priced cars and trucks and aftermarket products to pare their monthly payments.

 Rising raw material prices

The primary raw materials that the group uses include steel and aluminum. The company’s raw
material cost is increasing due to the rise in the prices of aluminum and steel. Globally, the
prices of primary aluminum ingot increased to $3,005.3 per ton by the end of March 2008, an
increase of 1.8% over 2007. Similarly, the price of cold rolled steel coil rose from $530 per ton
in March 2007 to $805 per ton in March 2008. Hot rolled steel prices, a major commodity used
by suppliers, increased from $508 a ton in February 2007 to $663 a ton in February 2008. Rising
raw material prices could lead to higher component and production costs, which could
negatively impact the future profitability and cash flows of the company.
 ELV Directive

Japan enacted the Automobile Recycling Law in July 2002, which required manufacturers to
take back air bags, fluorocarbon and shredder residue derived from end-of-life vehicles (ELV).
The law became effective from 2005. Broadly the ELV directive makes vehicle manufacturers
responsible for taking back end-of-life vehicles offered for sale after July 2002 for dismantling
and recycling. As per this law, effective from January 1, 2006, 80% of ELV by weight must be
reused or recycled, with a total recovery of 85%. Effective January 1, 2015, 85% of ELV (by
weight) must be reused or recycled, with a total recovery of 95%. This law is also applicable in
Europe. Further, Taiwan, Korea and China plan to implement automobile recycling laws in the
near future, following the regulations established by the European Union and Japan. ELV
regulations would impose additional costs on the group, which could adversely affect its
margins. Moreover, manufacturers are prohibited from using specified hazardous materials in
vehicles offered for sale in the European Union after 2003 and 95% of vehicle parts in new
vehicle types sold in the European Union after December 2008, must be designed to be re-
usable and recoverable. The ELV directive would impose additional costs obligations on GM,
which would adversely affect its margins.

 Stringent emission standards

The emission standard in the automobile industry, which prescribes norms for engine
standards, has been changing rapidly, and in recent times several countries have subscribed to
new emission standards. The European Union (EU) Commission and the EU Parliament have
adopted a directive that establishes increasingly stringent emission standards for passenger and
light commercial vehicles for model years 2005 and thereafter (EURO 4). Under the directive,
manufacturers will be responsible for the emissions performance of these vehicles for five years
or 100,000 kilometers, whichever occurs first. A more stringent emission standard (EURO 5) is
also in the final discussion stage within the EU legislative bodies, expected to be effective in
2009.The EU Commission intends to define even more stringent emission standards (EURO 6),
that, if adopted, would become mandatory around 2014 or 2015. Further, in 2005, in the US,
the states of New York, Massachusetts and Vermont adopted the California Zero Emission
Vehicle (ZEV) regulation. The ZEV was implemented in model year 2007. The state of Maine
would adopt the ZEV regulation starting from the 2009 model year. The state of Rhode Island
and Connecticut will propose the ZEV regulation starting from the 2008 model year. The state
of New Jersey will adopt the ZEV regulation starting from January 2009. China adopted Step3
and Step4 emission regulations for light-duty vehicles in 2005.These regulations are similar to
EURO 3 and EURO 4. Step3 was implemented in 2007 and Step4 would be implemented in
2010. South Korea adopted the enforcement regulation of the Special Act on Capital Region Air
Quality Improvement. Accordingly, some manufacturers shall be required to sell low emission
vehicles, which meet a more stringent emission standard than those meeting the national
standard. In addition, several Asian countries adopted regulations which are similar to the
Euro2 and Euro3 norms. In Australia, Euro4-equivalent regulations will be implemented in July
2008. The emission standards adopted across various regions can result in additional costs for
product development, testing, and manufacturing operations of GM.
 Porter's Five Forces in the Automobile Industry

 Threat of New Entrants

 Bargaining Power of suppliers
 Bargaining power of buyers
 Threat of substitute products
 Rivalry among competing firms

Threat of New Entrants

 Slow sluggish state of economy

o Personal consumption declined from 4.5 to 2.9%
o Productivity decreased in manufacturing level
 Automotive sector has no space for new entrants
o Small demand base and wide choice
 High Fixed cost and constant R&D

Bargaining Power Of Suppliers

 Automakers design and assemble, suppliers have little responsibility

o Trust has been scarred by Ford-Firestone problem.
o Essentially little power is given to suppliers
 Japanese emphasize trust in suppliers allowing for collaborative design efforts
o Corporate culture allows for such an arrangement to work
Bargaining Power of Buyers

 Customers take over management of world’s car business.

o Over capacity - wider choice – zero switching cost
o More discerning customers
o Dealer Freedom
o Better-quality products
 Consumers take advantage of current quality in product

Porter's Five Forces Analysis of General Motors

 Threat of New Entrants

Threat of new entrants to General Motors is low. Car manufacturing takes extremely large
amount of capital to enter. To compete at GMs level is next to impossible. Industry wise there
are huge barriers to entry. But with respect to GM’s existing position, even a small entrant
could have an impact. Low cost cars from China, India, South Korea and Italy could be
candidates. We can see that in India Nissan and Renault are opening their plants which will be
a threat to GM market share.

The availability of steel in automotive qualities with specifications at the required times and in
required quantities as auto firms need is a key factor for success in automobile industry. The
remarkable rise of steel price has resulted the price of iron to go up and the price of coking coal
has trebled, adding the barrier to new entrant.
 Bargaining Power of suppliers

Bargaining power of suppliers is moderate. GM has the largest market share in the US which could
give it much power over suppliers but it has not used that and looks at suppliers and their needs as
equal. The most important suppliers for GM are steel suppliers and biggest suppliers come from China
where labor and production cost are low.

The suppliers sell to other car manufacturers as most of them are not reliant on single automaker. Thus
the bargaining power of GM is not as low as it appears as they have some degree of diversification.

 Bargaining power of buyers

Bargaining power of customers is high. There are about twenty companies which are there in
the automobile market. So dealers give discounts to the customers to attract them, showing
that bargaining power of buyers is high. They have lot of options for them in market; can move
to other car makers.

 Threat of substitute products

Threat of substitutes is very high. We have seen in past two years GM’s market share is
continually dropping. Most other car makers offer higher quality and other benefits. We have
seen that GM launched hybrid cars which can be run by battery proved to be good substitute to
car run by oil and gasoline. GM was the first American company (in the modern era) to release an all-
electric automobile. This was a successful act by GM and they should try to bring more substitute

products in the market to increase their market share.

 Rivalry among competing firms

Intensity of rivalry for GM is very high as there are few major competitors to it .These are Ford,
Chrysler, Toyota, Nissan which are eating up the market share of GM on the global base.

The rivalry was increased when GM filed for Chapter 11 and United States Of Treasury came
forward to help it.
FUTURE STRATEGIES BY GM

1. Remaking GM

• Hold Board Members and Upper Management Responsible

• Turn GMs tech strategy from Follower to Leader and look to the future

• Remake the Brand Image by focusing on strengths and cutting weaknesses.

2. Board and Management

 They must be held accountable for both successes and failures

 Bureaucratic structure must change to help decision making process (decentralize
decision making process)
 Incentivize and challenge management
 Change board to people who had turned around failing companies

3. Tech Improvement
 No longer can GM survive being a tech dinosaur
 Create a large centralized and well funded R&D program to catch up and surpass
competitors immediately to have products coming out by 1st quarter 2008
 Rush hybrid technology into a vehicle by next model year

4. Revitalize Brand Image

 Build back market share to over 30% by 2010
 Phase out sluggish brands by 2012.
Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Buick .
 More focus on brand specific vehicles.
 No longer should every brand offer every type of vehicle.
RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Cut Costs By :

• Dropping Unsuccessful Product Lines

• Trimming Its Product Line

• Reduce the Number of Basic Platforms

• Standardizing Component Parts Across Models

• Reducing the Number of Parts Needed to Produce a Car

• Streamlining Operations by Consolidations Within the Corporation

• Decentralizing Decision Making

• Integration of It Design & MFG Activities

• Better Managing Its Supplier Relationships

2. Focus resources on core products, cars, & trucks.

3. Realignment of organizational structure to support core products and meet costs &
quality goals.
Example: self managed creative work teams to figure out how to speed-up product
development & improve product development.

4. Implement common systems & processes where possible.

5. Balance needs of employees and unions with needs of the company.