BMW reported a positive surprise to fourth quarter profit numbers today along with a proposal for a three percent increase in the dividend and notice that the board is to seek authorization for a 10 percent share buyback.
Volkswagen said at the start of the year that it would be going up in market share and instead it has gone down. They appear to have lost the U.S. consumer in terms of design and functionality.
I think everybody is worried about April. In the U.S. so far in April Chrysler car sales are down pretty significantly.
Toyota is at the top when it comes to real and perceived quality. One recall isn't a problem. It takes two points to draw a line and it that happens then you'll hear my tone change.
Peugeot had a bad year but their sales volumes improved. GM and Ford are operating at about their break-even market share.
It is decisive, it is early and it gets a lot of uncertainty out.
They did about 2,001 euros per car for other risk provisions, and that is the lowest level of provisioning in five years.
At this pace, Fiat should gain significant share.
The second quarter is going to be a very difficult quarter for most auto companies. Earnings will be down for almost every auto manufacturer with the exception of possibly Porsche , truck companies and select parts and tyre companies.
The underlying Mercedes margin excluding one-off items and provision releases was significantly weaker than expected. That was an area where the market was prepared for upside surprise.
