John Casesa
John Casesa
conditions difficult earnings expect growth improvement market mix overwhelm solid
We expect this mix improvement to overwhelm difficult market conditions for the foreseeable future, and therefore, we now expect solid earnings growth in 2002,
ability dependent growth identify labor market responding segments speed success
GM's competitiveness is not only dependent upon labor costs, but also on the speed of its decision-making, its success in responding to the market appropriately and its ability to identify the growth segments in the market.
dry expect ford gm half lose market next pipeline product relatively year
For the next year, year and a half I expect Ford to lose market share. It doesn't have many levers to pull. Its product pipeline is relatively dry and GM is being very aggressive.
gives highest japanese lowest market offer quality residual therefore vehicles
The Japanese make the highest quality vehicles on the market and that gives them the highest residual value, and therefore allows them to offer the lowest monthly lease rates.
actions america assembly await benefits capacity costs gm north ongoing plan reduce reflect step surprised visible
We were surprised that GM said that it does not plan to reduce permanently assembly capacity in North America to reflect the Olds phase-out, ... GM's restructuring, especially its discontinuance of the Olds brand, is undeniably a step in the right direction. However, the costs of these actions are much more visible than their ongoing benefits right now. We anxiously await follow-up actions.
brand damage
We think the damage to the (Ford) brand has already been done.
action extent gm influence takes urgency
To the extent that GM takes any action to get more competitive, that has to influence the urgency of Ford's strategy.
expect fleet gradually improve likely mix sales truck
We expect the truck mix to gradually improve through the remainder of the year, but fleet sales will likely recover, offsetting some of the mix benefits.
bought car everybody growth needs though
Even though the U.S. economy's pretty healthy, there's not much growth in demand. Everybody who needs a car has already bought one.
appear both capacity economic growth rapid sharp
We think it would take a rapid acceleration in economic growth and/or sharp capacity reduction, both of which appear unlikely.
buyers buying car confidence confident consumer future history influenced last month months next purchase six struggle ticket trend unless varies year
Car buying is influenced by consumer confidence. And confidence varies month to month but on a trend basis, it is down a lot in the last year, year-and-a-half. And my own view, unless it bounces back and unless history is wrong, we're going to really struggle to get these buyers in next year because they're just not as confident about the future to make a big ticket purchase as they were six months or a year ago.
achieve asia costs cutting essential gm growth mix north profitable
Capitalizing on growth in Asia through Daewoo is essential if GM is to achieve a profitable mix of businesses. They can't do it by just cutting costs in North America.
explorer ford good guess issue people tire view
My guess is most people view this as a tire issue than a Ford Explorer issue. But there are a lot of good competitors to Ford Explorer out there on the market.
change gm heightens hiring inside major signals strategy
Lutz's hiring signals the possibility of a renaissance at GM and heightens our sensitivity to the possibility of more constructive change, ... This is a major change in strategy for GM, which has historically relied heavily on inside promotions.