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<generator>Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/</generator><item><title><![CDATA[GM passes Ford in government sales, first time since bailout]]></title><link>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/11/gm-passes-ford-in-government-sales-first-time-since-bailout/</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/11/gm-passes-ford-in-government-sales-first-time-since-bailout/</guid><comments>http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/11/gm-passes-ford-in-government-sales-first-time-since-bailout/#comments</comments><description><![CDATA[<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/government-legal/" rel="tag">Government/Legal</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/ford/" rel="tag">Ford</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/gm/" rel="tag">GM</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/earnings-financials/" rel="tag">Earnings/Financials</a></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2013-chevrolet-malibu-2-5-first-drive/"><img height="417" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/09/2013-chevrolet-malibu-25-fd.jpg" vspace="4" width="628" /></a><br />
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Opponents of the US auto bailout - specifically that of "<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/government+motors/">Government Motors</a>" - should have a field day with this information. According to data compiled by <em>Automotive News </em>from the Government Services Administration, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/tag/gm/">General Motors</a> became the largest supplier of new cars to the US Government; overtaking <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/ford/">Ford</a> for the first time since 2009. Before the bailout, GM had held this lead dating back to at least 2005.<br />
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For fiscal year 2012, GM sold 19,404 units worth $409.2 million to the government, while Ford's sales to the feds dropped by 43 percent to 10,734 units worth $241.3 million. While some might want to attribute this finding to favoritism toward GM, GSA says that the majority of vehicle purchases, with "only a few exceptions," are driven solely by price. The report says that GM's vehicle prices climbed just 1.9 percent, and Ford's prices have risen by 12 percent. The overall top-selling car purchased by GSA? The <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/chevrolet/malibu/">Chevrolet Malibu</a>. Although it has a retail price of $21,995, GSA acquired the cars for an average price of just $15,778. Other vehicles among the top 10 to be purchased by the government include the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/dodge/grand+caravan/">Grand Caravan</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/ram/1500/">Ram 1500</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/chevrolet/tahoe/">Tahoe</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/ford/f-150/">F-150</a>. And as we <a href="http://green.autoblog.com/2013/01/10/federal-green-car-fleet-buys-more-hyundai-hybrids-as-overall-num/">previously reported</a>, the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/hyundai/sonata/">Hyundai Sonata Hybrid</a> was the top hybrid model purchased by GSA.<br />
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GSA spending has also dropped in recent years with last year's $1.3 billion down from $1.36 billion in 2011 and $1.55 billion in 2010. Vehicle purchases were also down 8.6 percent from the previous year with overall purchases totaling 50,114 units.<br />
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GM had previously stated that it was going to <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2012/12/19/gm-to-buy-200-back-million-shares-from-us-treasury/">buy back 200 million shares of its own stock</a> by the end of the year, but we have yet to hear any confirmation on such a deal, which would be worth an estimated $5.5 billion.<p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/11/gm-passes-ford-in-government-sales-first-time-since-bailout/">GM passes Ford in government sales, first time since bailout</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblog</a> on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:44:00 EST.  Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/11/gm-passes-ford-in-government-sales-first-time-since-bailout/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/20426023/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2013/01/11/gm-passes-ford-in-government-sales-first-time-since-bailout/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>]]></description><category>ford</category><category>general motors</category><category>governemt fleet sales</category><category>government</category><category>government motors</category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Jeffrey N. Ross]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:44:00 EST</pubDate>
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