LANEVE: IT'S TIME TO TALK PRODUCT AT GM!

From Automotive News

LOS ANGELES -- General Motors' top sales executive says gloomy financial news has overshadowed the GM product story, but new ads this month will begin to change that."These ads will say we have the best product, here's why -- and that we also have the best price," he told Automotive News during an interview at the Los Angeles auto show. "And if we have to compare them to competitors, we will."He also said GM won't lose any more U.S. market share in 2006. GM ended 2005 with 26.2 percent of the U.S. market, down from 27.5 percent in 2004."We plan to stay flat," in terms of market share, LaNeve said. "We're not naive enough to think we'll get to 30 again, but we're not willing to concede any share either."Asserting that GM is getting its financial house in order, he said:
The company started this year with 1 million units of inventory, compared with 1.25 million units in January 2005.
Low-profit sales to daily rental fleets are down substantially.
Dealer profits, while down from years past, held steady in 2005 compared with 2004.LaNeve says the company has growth potential in rural areas, where GM has less competition from other brands than in major metropolitan markets."The rural dealers are an asset," he said. "We should have much more market share in those areas."He said the company does not plan to add rural points, but said, "We are looking at ways to leverage them more."