General Motors Earns $791 Million, Or $1.30 Per Share In The First Quarter, Excluding Special Items And Hughes

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News of April 17, 2002
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General Motors Earns $791 Million, Or $1.30 Per Share In The First Quarter, Excluding Special Items And Hughes

Reported Net Income Totals $228 Million, Or $0.57 Per Share
Strong Cash Flow And Net Liquidity Improvements
$5.00 Earnings Per Share Expected For 2002, Excluding Hughes And Special Items

DETROIT - Strong vehicle sales and improved product mix in North America and a continued focus on cost reduction were key drivers of improved earnings and robust cash generation for General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM, GMH) in the first quarter of 2002. GM today reported that it earned $791 million, or $1.39 diluted earnings per share of GM $1-2/3 par value common stock, on revenue of $44.3 billion in the first quarter, excluding special items and Hughes. That compares with $321 million, or $0.57 per share, on revenue of $40.7 billion in the first quarter of 2001, also excluding special items and Hughes.

Including special items and Hughes, GM's first-quarter 2002 reported net income totaled $228 million, or $0.57 per share on revenue of $46.3 billion. First-quarter-2002 results included a restructuring charge of $407 million after-tax, or $0.72 per share, related to improving the competitiveness of GM's automotive operations in Europe. In addition, there were three special items at Hughes that had a total net unfavorable effect of $10 million after taxes. GM's results in the first quarter compare with $237 million, or $0.53 per share, on revenue of $42.6 billion in the first quarter of 2001. The first-quarter- 2001 results included the $12 million, or $0.03 per share, favorable effect of the initial adoption of an accounting change (SFAS No. 133) relating to the treatment of derivatives.

Hughes had a net loss of $156 million in the first quarter of 2002, or $0.10 per share of GM $1-2/3 par value common stock, including the above-mentioned special items.

GM financial results described throughout the remainder of this release exclude special items unless otherwise noted (see Highlights).

Strong automotive cash generation contributed to a significant improvement in GM's cash position and net liquidity. Cash, marketable securities, and assets of the Voluntary Employees' Beneficiary Association (VEBA) trust invested in short-term fixed- income securities, excluding Hughes, totaled $17.3 billion at March 31, 2002, compared with $11.5 billion at Dec. 31, 2001. The increase is primarily attributable to the approximately $3.7 billion in proceeds from the recent convertible bond issuance and cash generation from automotive operations. Net liquidity, excluding Hughes, improved to $2.3 billion, an increase of $1.3 billion from year-end 2001, reflecting the cash flow from automotive operations.

As a result of the strong cash position, GM took action in early April to further strengthen its balance sheet, making a $2.2 billion cash contribution to its U.S. hourly pension plan.

GM AUTOMOTIVE OPERATIONS

GM's global automotive operations earned $467 million in the first quarter of 2002, compared with $20 million in the prior- year period. Global production increased approximately 3.7 percent in the first quarter, compared with the same period in 2001. Strong performance in North America was partially offset by GM's European operations, which have not yet realized full benefit from the current restructuring.

GM North America (GMNA) posted a substantial increase in income, earning $625 million in the first quarter of 2002, compared with $120 million in the first quarter of 2001. Production volume increased 11.4 percent, with trucks growing to about 56 percent of total production, compared with about 52 percent in the first quarter of 2001. GM's overall U.S. market share was relatively stable at 28.3 percent in the quarter, however higher-profit retail sales increased significantly. GM estimates that its retail vehicle share increased about 1 percentage point, driven by a 4 percentage- point jump in truck retail share.

GM Europe (GME) had a loss of $125 million in the first quarter of 2002, excluding the restructuring charge, compared with a loss of $86 million in the prior-year period. The increased loss at GME was primarily attributable to a 15 percent reduction in production volume, and was only partially offset by reductions in material and structural costs. The restructuring charge of $407 million after taxes for the Project Olympia turnaround plan included employee separations, asset write-downs, and streamlining the dealer network.

GM Asia-Pacific earned $7 million in the first quarter of 2002, compared with a loss of $20 million in the first quarter last year. Increased equity earnings from alliance partners and favorable mix were primary factors. GM Latin America/Africa/Mid- East (GMLAAM) recorded a loss of $40 million in the first quarter of 2002, compared with earnings of $6 million in the first quarter of 2001. Steady production volume and increased market share were more than offset by the continuing effect of the Argentina currency devaluation, economic pressures, and unfavorable product mix in Brazil.

GMAC

General Motors Acceptance Corporation (GMAC) earned $439 million in the first quarter of 2002, up 2 percent from the prior-year period when earnings totaled $431 million. These results reflect a significant increase in earnings from mortgage operations, with continued strong origination volumes in both the residential and commercial sectors.

Income from automotive financing operations declined due to higher credit losses and unfavorable borrowing spreads, which were only partially offset by strong retail asset growth in North America. Income from insurance operations was down slightly in the quarter as lower capital gains more than offset improved underwriting results.

HUGHES

Hughes lost $146 million in the first quarter of 2002, compared with a loss of $96 million in the prior-year quarter, primarily because of the cost of adding DIRECTV subscribers. Hughes revenues increased 6.5 percent to $2.0 billion. Total DIRECTV subscriptions increased approximately 374,000 from the fourth quarter of 2001 to 12.2 million.

(April 16, 2002)

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