Normal Motors mentioned on Tuesday that its revenue within the ultimate three months of 2023 was depressed by losses stemming from unsold electrical automobiles and the price of a 40-day strike at a few of its U.S. vegetation.
The automaker, which has been banking on a fast rise in gross sales of battery-powered fashions, earned $2.1 billion within the fourth quarter, it mentioned, up from $2.0 billion a 12 months earlier. G.M.’s income jumped about 10 p.c, to $171.8 billion.
“The tempo of E.V. progress has slowed, which has created some uncertainty,” the corporate’s chief monetary officer, Paul Jacobson, mentioned in a convention name.
G.M. took a cost of $1.6 billion associated to unsold electrical automobiles. The strike, by the United Vehicle Staff union, value the corporate $1.1 billion, and G.M. spent $800 million on a settlement with LG Power Answer, a battery provider, that was associated to a mass recall of the electrical Chevrolet Bolt.
A number of carmakers, together with Tesla and Ford Motor, have lowered costs in response to weaker-than-expected demand for battery-powered automobiles. G.M. has additionally struggled to supply such automobiles in massive numbers due to manufacturing issues with a brand new battery expertise the corporate calls Ultium.
For the complete 12 months, G.M. mentioned, it made $10.1 billion, a virtually 9 p.c improve from 2022.
The automaker mentioned it anticipated 2024 revenue of $9.8 billion to $11.2 billion. That vary suggests G.M. may take pleasure in a giant soar in income or undergo a small decline, highlighting the rising uncertainty about demand for automobiles and the general well being of the auto business. The corporate expects to spend about $1 billion lower than final 12 months on its Cruise autonomous driving division, which has suspended the testing and business service of its fleet nationwide in response to rising security issues.
G.M. has additionally pared its electrical car ambitions. At one time, G.M. anticipated to supply 400,000 electrical automobiles by the center of 2024, however shoppers haven’t flocked to battery-powered automobiles as quick as auto executives anticipated.
The corporate dropped that manufacturing goal final 12 months and has delayed the introduction of some new electrical fashions it has been growing. Final month, it advised sellers to cease promoting the electrical model of the Chevy Blazer till G.M. engineers may repair a software program problem that might trigger sure options of the game utility car to cease working.
Within the fourth quarter, G.M. offered greater than 19,000 electrical automobiles, however most had been Bolts, that are not being produced and used an older battery expertise. Solely a couple of third of the electrical automobiles that had been offered used the newer battery packs produced at a manufacturing unit in Ohio that G.M. owns in a three way partnership with LG.
Mr. Jacobson mentioned that G.M. had “plenty of demand” for its electrical automobiles, however that it was being cautious about constructing extra automobiles than clients had been prepared to purchase. “We be ok with the place we’re,” he mentioned.
