James Grant discusses in his 2014 book, The Forgotten Depression, 1921, why the depression of 1920–1921 was relatively short compared to the 21st century’s economic recession and the following economic downturn that started in 2007. “The essential point about the long ago downturn of 1920–1921 is that it was kind of the last demonstration of how a price mechanism works and the last governmentally unmediated business cycle downturn, meaning it was the last one that the government didn’t attempt to treat with fiscal intervention with much lower interest rates. In fact, the FED, then still wet behind the ears as it only had been founded in 1914, actually raised rates in the face of a truly brutal deflation.”
My comment as we risk defaulting in the national debt. Possibly playing with some of the payments. Rates will rise substantially.
Inflation and deflation rates are weighted. If very few cars sell it does not matter what the price is. But any vehicle that has gone up in price might not be on the sales floor.
The weighting is indirect in the aggregate numbers.
Typical CEO seems to live in a bubble of his own creation, filled with yes men who feed his delusions. Did you hear Farley’s howler from a few weeks ago “Ford will be the Porsche of off-road”. Who would pay Porsche prices for a Ford?
How did those shoddy, overpriced, Ford SUVs do in the market the last couple months?
Ford Motor Company U.S. retail sales gain 17% in Q4, driving full-year 2024 retail gains of 6% - twice the rate of the estimated overall retail industry
Total Ford electrified vehicle sales (hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric) hit a record 285,291 this year – up 38%, outselling GM and Stellantis’ electrified vehicles for the full year
Ford No. 1 in hybrid trucks with an estimated 76% segment share and No. 2 U.S. electric vehicle brand
F-Series remains America’s best-selling truck for 48th straight year
Lincoln delivers best annual retail sales in 17 years
Ford Pro Intelligence software platform subscriptions, based on end-of-quarter estimates, up about 27% year-over-year
General Motors (GM) sold 114,432 electric vehicles (EVs) in 2024, a 50% increase from 2023. This helped GM maintain its position as the top-selling automaker in the US.
Q4 2024 EV sales
GM sold 43,982 EVs in the fourth quarter of 2024, a 125% increase from the same period in 2023
GM’s share of the US EV market reached 12.5% in Q4 2024, up from 6.5% in Q1
EV sales growth
GM’s EV sales accelerated throughout 2024
The Equinox EV was a major driver, with Q4 unit sales up 85% from Q3
Cadillac’s LYRIQ became the best-selling electric mid-size luxury SUV
GM’s EV plans
GM plans to offer plug-in hybrids for 2027 as a short-term strategy to meet emissions regulations
GM is also developing new electric Cadillacs, like the Escalade IQ, Optiq, and Vistiq
GM’s EV profitability
GM expects losses to narrow in 2025 with improving EV profitability
GM’s EV economics are improving as volumes increase
Meanwhile Tesla is flaming out.
Is Tesla losing the EV market?
Tesla’s dominance in the electric vehicle market continues to falter as the brand reported its fifth consecutive quarterly registration decline. Tesla’s registrations fell 7.8 percent in Q4 2024, contributing to an overall 11.6 percent decline in 2024.”Feb 10, 2025
