GM Corp Makes Tactical Decision to Cut Production of Pickup Trucks and SUVs

(NewsVisual, powered by IntellectSpace) -- In response to a shift in market conditions brought about by rising fuel prices, General Motors Corp (NYSE: GM) announced on Monday that it will curtail the production at its full-size pickup truck and its full-size SUV in order to reflect a downturn in consumer demand.

The company will implement its production cuts in two plants in Michigan and one in Ontario for its full-size truck, and it will cut back on its full-size SUV production in Wisconsin, GM said in its statement.

“With rising fuel prices, a softening economy, and a downward trend on current and future market demand for full-size trucks, a significant adjustment was needed to align our production with market realities,” said GM North America President Troy Clarke.

“This is a difficult move, but we remain committed to retaining and growing our leadership position in the full-size truck market,” he added.

NewsVisual decided to create an IntellectSpace Knowledge Map in order to illustrate the business connections of GM’s Board of Directors as a method for assessing their knowledge of business and for determining the likelihood that the company is on the right course for future earnings growth.

The Knowledge Map shows that Director George MC Fisher is the former CEO/Chairman of Kodak and a current Director at Eli Lilly.  Director John H Bryan has ties to such corporate powerhouses as Goldman Sachs, BP and Sara Lee.

The following GM Directors also have notable ties: Director Armando M Codina also serves on the board of Merrill Lynch; Director Karen L Katen is the former CEO/Chairman of Pfizer; and Director Philip A Laskawy is the former CEO/Chairman of Ernst & Young.

In addition, a few of the board members also hold leadership positions at non-corporate entities. For example, GM CEO/Chairman Richard Wagoner heads the Society of Automotive Engineers, Duke University and Harvard Business School.

Click here for an interactive version of this IntellectSpace Knowledge Map.

(Note: the information contained and presented in Knowledge Maps is public information from the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America).