LexFather

http://comcast.vehix.com/artic...d=800

Despite the sexy headline, the body of the article states that GM, Ford, and Toyota will be locked in a virtual 3 way tie for market share next year. While Ford is posting some positive gains due to new products, GM's share is predicted to fall from it's current 19.5% to 17% with the loss of Saturn, Pontiac, Saab, and Hummer. As reported elsewhere, GM current model rollouts are predicted to push its monthly market share to 22.5%. It will be interesting to see how GM holds on in the face of Ford's positive "mindshare" and with the loss of 4 brands.


Quoted from the article:

"It’s on course to grab the brass ring in 2010, becoming No. 1 in U.S. auto sales. An $18-billion low interest loan in 2006 -- when the company mortgaged itself, including its iconic blue oval insignia -- is allowing Ford to remake operations. It’s slashing costs and developing common bodies, braking and wiring systems for its vehicles worldwide and putting in place new flexible assembly lines that let plants shift rapidly from making one model to another. Plus, Ford is committed to new model development -- pledging to revamp its entire fleet by early 2011, and then repeating the feat in a few years.



As a result, by year-end 2010, Ford’s U.S. sales will likely edge out both General Motors’ and Toyota’s, but it’ll be a photo finish. The best bet: Toyota will come in second and GM will slip to third. Already, Ford’s share of U.S. auto sales is climbing. It’s likely to top 16% this year and be a hair over 17% next, mainly at the expense of GM and Chrysler. A market share gain of one percentage point reverses a slide that had plagued the firm for more than a decade."

IS-SV

Fun race. But I'm willing to bet which company posts the best financial results in the race.