Akerson Says GM to Remain U.S. Based

NEW DORK – Although General Motors sells more vehicles outside North America, don’t look for the auto maker to move its corporate headquarters out of the U.S. and into a higher-volume market.

“Not on my watch,” CEO Dan Akerson tells Ward’s, noting more than 55% of GM’s corporate revenues continue to be derived from the auto maker’s home market.

GM’s Akerson (left) with Manion Foundation’s Tom and Janet Manion alongside Intrepid.

The higher revenues are a result of a much richer product portfolio in the U.S., where GM still sells a many large pickups and SUVs.

Although volume continues to skyrocket in China, already GM’s No.1 market by a small margin, many of the vehicles sold there are priced at $10,000 and below.

In first-half 2011, GM delivered 1,273,502 vehicles in China and 1,261,611 in the U.S.

Akerson says GM brought home more than $1 billion (in profits) from its Chinese operations last year.

“There are no problems in repatriating money from China,” he says.

The CEO also says the company is working to retain customers who purchased vehicles from one of its defunct brands.

“We're concerned about the owners of stranded brands,” he says. “We've let them know they're still part of the GM family.”

Although the auto maker is selling more vehicles with its four remaining brands than it did in recent years with eight, GM is working mainly through its dealers to retain Pontiac, Saturn and Hummer owners.

GM has loyalty incentive programs for those car and truck buyers and is actively pursuing those consumers when their leases expire.

Akerson spoke on a dock alongside the aircraft carrier museum Intrepid, where he was on hand to announce a GM charitable venture.

The GM Foundation and Chevrolet are contributing $250,000 to the Travis Manion Foundation to promote 9/11 Heroes Run 5K races in 30 U.S. cities to honor fallen military in Middle East wars, as well as police, firefighters and other first responders the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center here, the Pentagon in Washington and those who died on a third hijacked plane on a field in Pennsylvania.