The US auto industry will grow slowly, with next year’s sales possibly rising slightly from 2011, a top General Motors executive told a conference in New York.

“We continue to believe that the industry will grow; it will grow slowly, along with the economy and it will be flat to slightly up in 2012,” US sales chief Don Johnson said, according to Reuters.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

“We actually like this slow growth,” he added. “For us, it is a better environment within which to plan and we prefer to have less uncertainty, less volatility.”

The US sales pace on an annual basis in October finished at 13.3m vehicles, the highest level since February. Johnson said on Tuesday GM expects sales in November to finish at a pace of around 14m. GM’s outlook includes medium- and heavy-duty trucks, which typically account for about 200,000 to 300,000 sales.

Johnson said also GM’s share loss in October in the US market was not an indicator for the entire year. He said new products were the main reason for overall gains this year, rather than the impact of the Japan earthquake in March and the more recent floods in Thailand that have hurt Japanese rivals.

Johnson said there will likely be a “short-term downward pressure” on GM and other non-Japanese companies as loyal customers of the Japanese automakers who have been on the sidelines return. However, he expects GM’s share of the US retail sales market to remain in the 17%1 to 17.5% range.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

“When you look at what’s happened in the last year and you look at the share gains we’ve made, some of that is attributable to lack of inventory of our competitors, but the majority of that is attributable to our new products, our brand focus.”