GM Financial, the captive finance arm of General Motors (GM), recorded fourth-quarter earnings before tax of $0.1bn (£65m) in 2012, compared to $0.2bn in Q4 2011 and $0.2bn in Q3 2012.

Earnings before tax for the full year stood at $0.7bn, up from $0.6bn in 2011.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Premium Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Although appearing to represent a small proportion of its manufacturer parent’s balance sheet, when compared to other captive finance providers such as RCI Banque or Ford Credit, GM Financial was only created in 2010. Many of GM Financial’s global operations are due to begin later this year when it re-acquires units of GM’s old captive finance business GMAC, which was known as Ally Financial after divestiture from GM.

Overall revenue for GM was up for the quarter, by 3.42% year-on-year, to $39.3bn, and up 1.33% over 2012 to $152.3bn. Overall earnings before tax for the quarter rose 9.10% to $1.2bn, but fell 4.82% against the 2011 figure to $7.9bn.

‘Aggressive and rigorous’

Automotive net cash flow also gave a mixed picture: down 58.33% for the quarter to $0.5bn but up 29.73% for the year to $9.6bn. Automotive free cash flow was up at the end of 2012, by 43.33% to $4.3bn with total automotive liquidity up 0.54% on the end of 2011 to $37.2bn.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Dan Akerson, chairman and chief executive of GM, said the brand would focus on "executing flawless vehicle launches" in 2013.

Dan Ammann, senior vice president and chief financial officer of GM, added the "aggressive" launches would be accompanied by a company focus on "improving the topline" and "rigorous cost discipline".

Further data and comment regarding manufacturer full-year results will be published in the March issue of Motor Finance magazine.

richard.brown@timetric.com