FOR RELEASE: 2009-04-27
GM Accelerates its Reinvention as a Leaner, More
Viable Company
Updated Viability Plan
Speeds, Deepens Restructuring of U.S. Operations
DETROIT -- General Motors (NYSE: GM) today presented an
updated Viability Plan that will speed the reinvention of GM's U.S.
operations into a leaner, more customer-focused, and more
cost-competitive automaker.
The Viability Plan is included in an exchange offer whereby GM is
offering certain bondholders shares of GM common stock and accrued
interest in exchange for certain outstanding notes.
Revised Viability Plan goes further and faster
The Viability Plan announced today builds on the February 17
Viability Plan submitted to the U.S. Treasury. The
revised Plan accelerates the timeline for a number of important
actions and makes deeper cuts in several key areas of GM's
operations, with the objective to make us a leaner, faster, and more
customer-focused organization going forward.
Significant changes include:
- A focus on four core brands in the U.S. - Chevrolet, Cadillac,
Buick and GMC - with fewer nameplates and a more competitive level
of marketing support per brand.
- A more aggressive restructuring of GM's U.S. dealer
organization to better focus dealer resources for improved sales
and customer service.
- Improved U.S. capacity utilization through accelerated idling
and closures of powertrain, stamping, and assembly plants.
- Lower structural costs, which GM North America (GMNA) projects
will enable it to breakeven (on an adjusted EBIT basis) at a U.S.
total industry volume of approximately 10 million vehicles, based
on the pricing and share assumptions in the plan. This rate is
substantially below the 15 to 17 million annual vehicle sales
rates recorded from 1995 through 2007.
"We are taking tough but necessary actions that are critical to
GM's long-term viability," said Fritz Henderson, GM president and
CEO. "Our responsibility is clear - to secure GM's future - and we
intend to succeed. At the same time, we also understand the impact
these actions will have on our employees, dealers, unions,
suppliers, shareholders, bondholders, and communities, and we will
do whatever we can to mitigate the effects on the extended GM
team."
Fewer U.S. brands, nameplates, and dealers
As part of the revised Viability Plan and the need to move faster
and further, GM in the U.S. will focus its resources on four core
brands, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. The Pontiac brand will
be phased out by the end of 2010. GM will offer a total of 34
nameplates in 2010, a reduction of 29 percent from 48 nameplates in
2008, reflecting both the reduction in brands and continued emphasis
on fewer and stronger entries. This four-brand strategy will enable
GM to better focus its new product development programs and provide
more competitive levels of market support.
The revised plan moves up the resolution of Saab, Saturn, and
Hummer to the end of 2009, at the latest. Updates on these brands
will be provided as these initiatives progress.
Working with its dealers, GM anticipates reducing its U.S. dealer
count from 6,246 in 2008 to 3,605 by the end of 2010, a reduction of
42 percent. This is a further reduction of 500 dealers, and four
years sooner, than in the February 17 Plan. The goal is to
accomplish this reduction in an orderly, cost-effective, and
customer-focused way. This reduction in U.S. dealers will allow for
a more competitive dealer network and higher sales effectiveness in
all markets. More details on these initiatives will be provided in
May.
Sales volume and market share projections
The Viability Plan anticipates improved financial results despite
more conservative U.S. sales volume expectations going forward. The
lower volume expectations are the result of managing the business
with fewer nameplates and dealers, leaner inventories, and reduced
market share. To address the inventory issue, GM on April 23
announced U.S. production schedule reductions of approximately
190,000 vehicles during the second and early third quarters of
2009.
The Viability Plan also reduces GM's market share projections to
adjust for the impact of the brand and dealer consolidation, as well
as for the short-term impact of speculation regarding a GM
bankruptcy. The plan assumes a 19.5 percent share in 2009, with
share stabilizing in the 18.4 to 18.9 percent range in subsequent
years.
"We have strong new product coming for our four core brands: the
Chevrolet Camaro, Equinox, Cruze and Volt; Buick LaCrosse; GMC
Terrain; and Cadillac SRX and CTS Sport Wagon and Coupe," said
Henderson. "A tighter focus by GM and its dealers will help give
these products the capital investment, marketing and advertising
support they need to be truly successful."
Lower structural costs, lower breakeven point
The Viability Plan also lowers GMNA's breakeven volume to a U.S.
annual industry volume of 10 million total vehicles, based on the
pricing and share assumptions in the plan. This lower breakeven
point (at an adjusted EBIT level) better positions GM to generate
positive cash flow and earn an adequate return on capital over the
course of a normal business cycle, a requirement set forth by the
U.S. Treasury in its March 30 viability plan assessment.
GM will lower its breakeven point by cutting its structural costs
faster and deeper than had previously been planned:
- Manufacturing:
Consistent with the mandate to accelerate
restructuring, we plan to reduce the total number of assembly,
powertrain, and stamping plants in the U.S. from 47 in 2008 to 34
by the end of 2010, a reduction of 28 percent, and to 31 by 2012.
This would reflect the acceleration of six plant idling/closures
from the February 17 plan, and one additional plant idling.
Throughout this transition, GM will continue to implement its
flexible global manufacturing strategy (GMS), which allows
multiple body styles and architectures to be built in one plant.
This enables GM to use its capital more efficiently, increase
capacity utilization, and respond more quickly to market shifts.
- Employment:
U.S. hourly employment levels are projected to
be reduced from about 61,000 in 2008 to 40,000 in 2010, a 34
percent reduction, and level off at about 38,000 starting in 2011.
This further planned reduction of an additional 7,000 to 8,000
employees from the February 17 Plan is primarily the result of the
previously discussed operational efficiencies, nameplate
reductions, and plant closings. GM also anticipates a further
decline in salaried and executive employment as it continues to
assess its structure and execute the Viability Plan. More details
will be announced as soon as they are finalized with the various
stakeholders.
- Labor costs:
The Viability Plan assumes a reduction of
U.S. hourly labor costs from $7.6 billion in 2008 to $5 billion in
2010, a 34 percent reduction. GM will continue to work with its
UAW partners to accomplish this through a reduction in total U.S.
hourly employment as well as through modifications in the
collective bargaining agreement.
As a result of these and other actions, GMNA's structural costs
are projected to decline 25 percent, from $30.8 billion in 2008 to
$23.2 billion in 2010, a further decline of $1.8 billion by 2010
versus the February 17 Plan.
Strengthening GM's balance sheet
Another key element of GM's restructuring will be taking the
necessary actions to strengthen its balance sheet. GM today took an
important step in improving its balance sheet by launching a bond
exchange offer for approximately $27 billion of its unsecured public
debt. If successful, the bond exchange would result in the
conversion of a large majority of this debt to equity.
"A stronger balance sheet would free the company to invest in the
products and technologies of the future," Henderson said. "It will
also help provide stability and security to our customers, our
dealers, our employees, and our suppliers."
Another important part of improving the balance sheet will be the
ongoing discussions with the UAW to modify the terms of the
Voluntary Employee Benefit Association (VEBA), and with the U.S.
Treasury regarding possible conversion of its debt to equity. The
current bond exchange offer is conditioned on the converting to
equity of at least 50 percent of GM's outstanding U.S. Treasury debt
at June 1, 2009, and at least 50 percent of GM's future financial
obligations to the new VEBA. GM expects a debt reduction of at least
$20 billion between the two actions.
In total, the U.S. Treasury debt conversion, VEBA modification
and bond exchange could result in at least $44 billion in debt
reduction.
Throughout the Plan, GM will continue to make significant
investment in future products and new technologies, with an
investment of $5.4 billion in 2009, and investments ranging from
$5.3 to $6.7 billion from 2010 to 2014. Very importantly,
development and testing of the Chevy Volt extended-range electric
car remains on track for start of production by the end of 2010 and
arrival in Chevrolet dealer showrooms soon thereafter.
"The Viability Plan reflects the direction of President Obama and
the U.S. Treasury that GM should go further and faster on our
restructuring," Henderson said. "We appreciate their support and
direction. This stronger, leaner business model will enable GM to
keep doing what it does best - provide great new cars, trucks and
crossovers to our customers, and continue to develop new advanced
propulsion technologies that are vital for our country's economy and
environment."
# # #
About GM - General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), one of the
world's largest automakers, was founded in 1908, and today
manufactures cars and trucks in 34 countries. With its global
headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 243,000 people in every major
region of the world, and sells and services vehicles in some 140
countries. In 2008, GM sold 8.35 million cars and trucks globally
under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM
Daewoo, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn, Vauxhall and
Wuling. GM's largest national market is the United States, followed
by China, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia and Germany.
GM's OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety,
security and information services. More information on GM can be
found at www.gm.com.
Forward-Looking Statements - In this press release and in related comments by our
management, our use of the words "plan," "expect," "anticipate,"
"ensure," "promote," "believe," "improve," "intend," "enable,"
"continue," "will," "may," "would," "could," "should," "project,"
"positioned" or similar expressions is intended to identify
forward-looking statements that represent our current judgment about
possible future events. We believe these judgments are reasonable,
but these statements are not guarantees of any events or financial
results, and our actual results may differ materially due to a
variety of important factors. Among other items, such factors might
include: our ability to comply with the requirements of our credit
agreement with the U.S. Treasury; our ability to execute the
restructuring plans that we have disclosed, our ability to maintain
adequate liquidity and financing sources and an appropriate level of
debt; the ability of our foreign subsidiaries to restructure and
receive financial support from their local governments or other
sources; our ability to restore consumers' confidence in our
viability and to continue to attract customers, particularly for our
new products; our ability to sell, spin-off or phase out some of our
brands, to manage the distribution channels for our products, and to
complete other planned asset sales; and the overall strength and
stability of general economic conditions and of the automotive
industry, both in the U.S. and globally.
Our most recent reports on SEC Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K provide
information about these and other factors, which may be revised or
supplemented in future reports to the SEC on those forms.
# # #
GM strives to ensure that
all of the information contained in a press release is accurate at
the time it is issued. However, changes in materials, equipment and
specifications, prices, availability, etc do occur over time. For
the most up-to-date information on currently available models,
please visit GM.com/shop.