General Motors Fact and Fiction

Common myths about General Motors, and the actual truth.
More facts can be found at http://gmfactsandfiction.com

Myth : With the largest workforce in the auto industry, General Motors has far too many people working for it.
Fact : GM has cut its payroll drastically, by 45.8 percent in the U.S. alone since 2000. In fact, GM is far from the largest employer in the industry. With 252,000 employees worldwide, GM ranks fifth overall behind Volkswagen (373,400 employees,) Renault/Nissan (316,121 employees,) Toyota (316,121 employees) and Daimler (272,382 employees). Yet GM sold more vehicles worldwide last year than any other automaker. November 18, 2008

Myth : GM doesn’t make cars that people want to buy
Fact : 9.3 million people worldwide bought GM vehicles last year.
That’s more vehicles than any other automaker in the world sold. And in the U.S., which is the world’s largest market, GM sold more vehicles than any other manufacturer in 2007, and it has sold more than any other automaker to date in 2008.
In 2008, the Chevy Malibu was named North American Car of the Year, and the Cadillac CTS was Motor Trend’s 2008 Car of the Year. In 2007, the Saturn Aura and Chevy Silverado won North American Car and Truck of the year. Those awards are given and judged by automotive journalists.
Customers have responded just as enthusiastically as the critics. Although total U.S. vehicle sales are down almost 15% so far this year (through October), a number of GM cars and crossovers have enjoyed significant sales increases:
Chevy Malibu +39%
Pontiac Vibe +36%
Pontiac G6 + 4%
Cadillac CTS +15%
Saturn Aura +7%
GMC Acadia +2%
Buick Enclave +88% October 1, 2008


Myth : GM is not actively pursuing energy saving technologies
Fact : GM sells cars and trucks in every major market in the world, and it is clear to us that oil alone cannot fuel the world’s rapidly growing vehicle fleet. That’s why GM is aggressively pursuing a broad range of advanced propulsion technologies.
These include:
Improved internal combustion powertrains, which can squeeze more miles from each gallon of gasoline or diesel;
Flex-fuel vehicles and investments in advanced biofuels;
An expanding fleet of hybrid vehicles — nine hybrid models by mid-2009;
Electrically-driven vehicles like the Chevy Volt, which is scheduled to go into production in 2010;
Advanced fuel cell vehicles, which are currently undergoing fleet tests.
There is no one-size-fits-all answer. Different countries and different customers will require different solutions. We are committed to being a global leader in providing these solutions. GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner outlined this strategy at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto show. September 10, 2008