Why did GM lose sales leadership in 2010?
General Motors fell to second place in 2010, in the midst of the economic crisis that brought it to the brink of bankruptcy and the NH1N1 influenza epidemic, which collapsed car sales in the first quarter of that year in Mexico.
Then Nissan knew how to take advantage of the models that were well positioned in the Mexican market, due to their performance and low maintenance cost, such as the Tsuru and the work pickups. The Japanese manufacturer boosted the sale of these models with attractive financing plans, low interest rates and longer terms.
In addition to offering better financing conditions, Nissan also focused on improving after-sales service, closing badly located dealerships, standardizing customer service policies, and guaranteeing availability and low cost of spare parts.
From then until October 2022, the Japanese manufacturer remained the brand that sells the most cars in Mexico. Last year, it sold 203,918 units, equivalent to 20.1% of total sales. General Motors closed with 127,300 units sold and a 12.5% market share.
But the gap between both competitors was closing. Last October, the difference between the two brands was only nine cars and at the end of November General Motors surpassed the Japanese.
What will happen to Nissan?
Nissan has had to delay some launches due to semiconductor shortages. The arrival of the electric model Kicks e-Power, which was expected in May, had to be postponed until November; while Pathfinder’s arrival was delayed for almost a year due to lack of units.
On a call with analysts, the automaker said it had doubled chip supply by using alternative chips; however, supply chain challenges are expected to persist.
“Even [en] 2023, we will enter with supply chain challenges especially driven by semiconductors,” Ashwani Gupta, global chief operating officer, said on the latest call with analysts.