GM’s Truck Inventory Almost Reached 2012 Target

GM almost reached its 2012 target for its supply of pickups, after offering increasing incentives in December.

In December, GM announced that it might end 2012 with more inventory than planned. Its predictions were true as the automaker finished the year with an inventory 7% higher than the target. Still, the truck supply was seen as a test for GM’s discipline to avoid bringing back the old habits of offering heavy discounts to boost sales.

Last month, sales of the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado full-size pickups were up 8% compared with the same period last year, according to GM’s statement made on Thursday, January 3rd. The increased sales in December helped the automaker end the year with a truck supply of 221,649 units, now having the possibility to introduce this year the redesigned versions of the pickups.

A report from the Detroit Free Press showed that GM offered discounts of up to $9,000 for its 2012 models and almost $4,500 for its 2013 models left in stock. In November, the largest discounts were offered by the Ram brand (average $3,700) followed by GMC and Ford ($3,700), according to data from J.D. Power and Associates.