GM Generali

Generali (AQEU:GM)
Historical Stock Chart

From Jul 2019 to Jul 2024

Thousands of Brazilian auto workers who were put on temporary leave since sales slumped in November have returned to the assembly lines last month as sales picked up.

"Sales are a lot better in February and continuing the trend from January's uptick," Gustavo Luis Schmidt, sales director of Volkswagen AG (VLKAY) Brazil unit, said Tuesday. Volkswagen was Brazil's market leader in January, followed by Fiat SpA (FIATY) and General Motors Corp. (GM).

January motor vehicle sales rose 1.5% over December, the National Motor Vehicles Manufacturers Association, or Anfavea, said last Monday.

Schmidt attributed the sales increase to a government industrial tax break at the end of the year, which resulted in sticker-price declines of as much as 7.4%. The tax break ends March 31.

Production also rose a surprising 92.7% to 186,124 units last month as auto workers started trickling into work on the assembly lines of the top three national auto makers.

Fiat, Brazil's No. 1 retail auto leader in 2008, has all of its 15,000 employees working at its one plant in Sao Paulo since early January.

The plant is producing around 2,600 cars and trucks a day, down from an average of 3,000 vehicles daily at the height of Brazil's auto boom in 2008.

Vehicle sales in Brazil rose 14.5% in 2008 to 2.82 million units, though production rose 8% to 3.2 million vehicles that same year.

Car sales started declining in October when banks raised interest rates and shortened the terms of car loan in response to a fast onrushing global credit crunch.

Brazil's automotive sales declined for three months in a row before picking up in January. February sales are seen rising on the month, as well.

Volkswagen has around 21,000 employees currently producing at its four assembly lines, after giving them much of December off.

General Motors also has around 22,000 of its workers back to work. Its motor division is still maintaining a policy of forced holidays.

GM is currently producing around 2,500 cars and trucks daily, a press manager said, also lower than 2008's peak.

Brazil has been a shining star for international auto companies over the last three years. As sales have slipped in Europe and the U.S., car sales for GM, Volkswagen and Fiat have broken records year over year, making it an important country for European and U.S. vehicle makers.

In the U.S., troubled General Motors will present to the public later Tuesday its 800- to 900-page report explaining how the company can turn around its operations.

GM in the U.S. has lost more than $70 billion since 2004, for an average of $17.4 billion in losses yearly for four years ended in 2008.

In Brazil, GM brought in around 9.5 billion Brazilian reals, or around $4.13 billion, in 2008.

-By Kenneth Rapoza, Dow Jones Newswires; 5511-8812-5961; kenneth.rapoza@dowjones.com