Update -

GM reports 9.369 billion sales to Toyota's 9.366 billion

DETROIT -- General Motors today reported global sales of 9.369 million
vehicles in 2007, a total that would place it just ahead of Toyota Motor
Corp.

GM said its global sales rose 3 percent from a year earlier to 9,369,524
vehicles, driven by strong growth in markets outside North America.

Toyota, which was expected to have surpassed GM as the world's largest
automaker, said on Jan. 10 that it sold 9.37 million vehicles in 2007 but
did not detail the figure further. A Toyota source told Reuters today the
automaker finished with about 9.366 million in sales, just short of GM.

The close race might come down to how vehicles made by an obscure GM
partnership in China are counted. Last year the Automotive News Data Center
deducted vehicles from SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile Co. from the GM total
because SAIC is majority owner of the partnership.

GM said the 2007 results were the second-best global sales total in its
100-year history. It was the third straight year with more than 9 million
vehicles sold.

Record sales overseas

" We set a record in China with more than a million vehicles sold. We nearly
doubled our sales in Russia to an all-time record of more than 258,000
vehicles delivered. And we set a record in Brazil with nearly a half-million
vehicles sold," John Middlebrook, GM vice president of global sales, service
and marketing, said in a statement today.

" This is the kind of emerging market growth that fuels our global
performance. Customers are responding to our fuel-efficient and dynamically
designed product lineup around the world."

The virtual tie comes at a time when Toyota has been growing in the United
States -- the world's largest market for vehicle sales -- while GM's
domestic sales have been slipping. But GM has been increasing market share
outside the United States, where sales accounted for 59 percent of its
total.

Since 1998, GM's global sales have grown at an average annual rate of about
1.5 percent, while Toyota's growth rate has been five times that.

GM's sales in North America -- its largest market -- fell 6.1 percent in
2007. Sales in the Asia Pacific region rose 15.1 percent led by China, while
sales in Latin America, Africa and the Middle East rose 19.4 percent, driven
by Brazil. Sales in Europe rose 8.9 percent.

Sales outside the United States were 5.5 million units.

Too close to call

Mike DiGiovanni, GM's executive director of global product planning, said in
a morning conference call with analysts and reporters that the race with
Toyota is too close to call.

" We're just focused on putting our nose down and trying to do a good job,
serving our customers and making the best products that we can. I don't
think anyone knows -- we don't know" who won.

DiGiovanni said GM is in it to win, but it is more important to run the
business profitably and not " get into trouble with too many fleet orders"
and big incentive sales.

" We think we're doing the right things to remain No. 1, and we're in it for
the long run," DiGiovanni said.

But GM's future growth is not in North America or Europe, he said. Growth is
in Latin America, Asia, eastern Europe and developing countries. GM is
focusing its growth efforts in those regions this year, while it continues
to defend the traditional markets, DiGiovanni said.

" We're hitting on all cylinders across the globe," DiGiovanni said.

Product mix won't change

Globally, GM's product mix will not change much this year from 2007,
DiGiovanni said. GM will remain capacity constrained in China and Brazil,
but it sees growth opportunities in both regions.

In Europe, GM plans to supplement its Opel brand by adding Chevrolet
products. GM's strategy to improve Saab's sales includes a new crossover
concept -- the 9-4X -- that debuted at the Detroit auto show.

" Saab will have a new crossover that will help them in conquesting new
customers," DiGiovanni said. " We anticipate that will do well for them
worldwide. We're very optimistic about that vehicle. It's a real opportunity
for them."

GM also will integrate Saab products into more GM platforms, he said. That
will help lower Saab's pricing and increase content on Saab vehicles, making
them more competitive.

In North America, GM's focus is on stabilizing its retail share, DiGiovanni
said. The big push this year will be on the new Cadillac CTS and Chevrolet
Malibu sedans to improve GM's sales in the mid-sized car category.

GM has other new products coming this year -- the Chevrolet Traverse
crossover and the Pontiac G8 sedan. Those will help lift GM's U.S. sales
too, he said. GM does not anticipate a big slide in U.S. truck sales.

" In the U.S. and North America, we raised our oil price forecast internally
about three months ago to be more aligned with what the prices are
currently," DiGiovanni said.

" So while we see some slight decline in truck sales, it's not much because
they've been replaced by crossovers, which are in the truck category. When I
look on balance, there'll probably be some slight increase in car growth
worldwide vis-a-vis truck growth, but I wouldn't see a significant shift."

GM leaders remain optimistic that the United States will experience growth
in gross domestic product in the second half of the year. That, combined
with the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates should help the country
avoid a recession. DiGiovanni would not release GM's sales forecast for
2008.

Reuters contributed to this report

Hi!

Must not have been a good year. Although I wonder if whoever got that .37th
of a vehicle got a good deal on it!

William