Sales of Lordstown-built Chevrolet Cobalt and Pontiac G5 small cars by General Motors Corp. to dealers didn't exactly rebound in December, but they weren't as bad as they had been the previous two months, raising local hopes that the worst of the drought may be over.
Cobalt sales were down 27.3 percent in December to 12,786 compared to the same month in 2007. G5 sales were off 1.8 percent to 2,464 in the same period. Both fared better than GM's 31 percent drop for the month as the industry ended its worst year since 1992.
The December declines by the Cobalt and G5 were greatly improved from November and October when Cobalt sales tumbled 53.6 percent and 60.8 percent, respectively. G5 sales plunged 50.1 percent and 67.8 percent in the same comparison periods.
Denny DeNoi, general manager at Greenwood's Hubbard Chevrolet, credited additional sales incentives for the slight moderation, adding, ''We just had more people in the market place. People had put things off for a while. We noticed more need buyers - people who need to buy a car. With the incentives, they started to move.''
New incentives, such as 2.9 percent finance rate for 60 months, plus owner loyalty cash rebates for current owners, are starting today, DeNoi said, giving him hope that the brutal sales decline was nearing its end.
''I think we've turned the corner,'' he said. ''It'll still be a little tough, but I think the worst is behind us.''
Jim Graham, president of United Auto Workers Local 1112 at the Lordstown assembly plant, echoed DeNoi's view.
''Between November and April, cars don't sell. Things start picking up in April. I think it's picking up a little early this year,'' he said.
Year-to-date Cobalt sales finished down 6.3 percent at 188,045 from 2007, while G5 sales ended down 8.9 percent at 25,439. The small cars' numbers beat GM's overall sales, which plummeted 23 percent to 2.95 million as truck and sport utility vehicle sales collapsed due to record high gasoline prices in the first half of the year.
Despite the sales downturn, the Lordstown Complex posted greater production in December than a year ago 16,809 Cobalts to 14,544 last year and 4,133 G5s versus 3,240 a year ago.
For the year, the complex built 250,002 Cobalts compared to 226,314 in 2007. G5 production totaled 58,013 versus 54,138 a year ago.
