Both Cox Automotive senior economist Charlie Chesbrough and Autotrader executive analyst Michelle Krebs each shared a cautionary reaction on Tuesday morning just hours after General Motors announced that the automaker will begin reporting its U.S. vehicle sales on a quarterly basis, effective immediately.
Contained in the closing segment of what evidently is its last monthly sales announcement, GM explained that now second quarter sales will be released on July 3, third quarter sales on Oct. 2 and fourth quarter sales on Jan. 3 of next year.
“Thirty days is not enough time to separate real sales trends from short-term fluctuations in a very dynamic, highly competitive market,” said Kurt McNeil, U.S. vice president of sales operations at GM. “Reporting sales quarterly better aligns with our business, and the quality of information will make it easier to see how the business is performing.
