USA: US Truck Focus For GM

General Motors Corp. announced Tuesday (20/6/00) that it will focus on building more minivans, SUVs (Sports Utility Vehicles) and pick-ups for the US market. The move, to be carried out over the next two years, will see 70% of resources GM spends on new vehicle development throughout 2002 spent on trucks, according to Ron Zarella, Head of North American Operations for GM. It is expected by 2002, 60% of the vehicles GM sells in the US, totalling 5 million, will be trucks, up 10% on this year`s figures.

bcusack June 21, 2000

General Motors Corp. announced Tuesday (20/6/00) that it will focus on building more minivans, SUVs (Sports Utility Vehicles) and pick-ups for the US market.

The move, to be carried out over the next two years, will see 70% of resources GM spends on new vehicle development throughout 2002 spent on trucks, according to Ron Zarella, Head of North American Operations for GM. It is expected by 2002, 60% of the vehicles GM sells in the US, totalling 5 million, will be trucks, up 10% on this year`s figures.

The truck sector for GM, alongside other North American car manufacturers, has been very successful for the company, with GM`s North American business accounting for $1.3 of the $1.8 billion profits generated by the automaker in the first quarter of this year.

The company anticipates building 75 to 80 different models in the foreseeable future, continued Zarella, with it likely to add trucks while deleting certain cars.