General Motors Sales Chief Encouraged by Retail Sales

NEW YORK — General Motors Corp. has reached a sustainable market share of 24%, says Mark LaNeve, vice president-sales, service and marketing.

He also notes the auto maker's overall product incentives have dropped from $4,197 to $2,843 per vehicle, which he attributes to a decline in daily rental sales. GM cut its fleet sales to, among other things, increase the residual values of its vehicles.

“Everyone else went up,” he says of rival auto makers' fleet sales, adding GM now is succeeding due to an emphasis on value for the money and exterior styling.

“We're shooting for flat overall volumes this year, but we'll be up in retail sales,” he says.

LaNeve is quick to point out the auto maker doesn't want rental sales to entirely go away. GM now is equipping rental units in a similar fashion to its retail vehicles, providing a test-drive opportunity for would-be customers, he says.

“But we have to keep the supply and demand of daily rental cars in check,” he adds.