I think we all know somebody who tells the same story over and over. Or, perhaps, they have a joke that just has to be told every time they see you. With the holidays under way, you may have recently been forced to sit through tales of your relatives' impoverished childhoods or long rants about the younger generation. Or maybe someone will bring up how we kids (no matter how old we are, we're still the kids) were always getting into mischief -- telling the same old stories of our destructive days.
Well, today, I'm playing the role of repeat storyteller because sales figures for automakers were recently released, and it's the same story.
General Motors
Ford
The little guy continues to be the true bright spot among the U.S. automakers, as sales at DaimlerChrysler
So, can we expect anything different in the future, or will it be the same inappropriate joke told at just the wrong time? I'm probably going to surprise a lot of readers out there, but I actually expect GM -- and Ford in particular -- to see some improvements in the future. Both companies announced production cuts for the first quarter of 2005, which will be painful but should improve the bottom line down the road. GM just needs to follow Ford's lead and produce some new designs, and it too should see improved results.
Fool contributor Mike Cianciolo welcomes feedback and doesn't own any of the companies in this article.