New details have emerged about how GM manages its inventory of full-size pickups and SUVs in the US
During the company’s Q1 2026 earnings call, the company’s CFO Paul Jacobson stated that the company is pulling its full-size pickup and SUV inventory from overseas to better meet demand in North America. This strategy follows a series of production adjustments at General Motors facilities in North America.
According to Jacobson, General Motors is now shifting vehicles originally intended for the Middle East market back to North America.
“We have and will continue to divert some full-size SUVs and pickups from the Middle East back to North America, helping to reduce low domestic inventory levels,” Jacobson said during the call.
The move to bring more inventory to the North American market underscores the importance of meeting demand for high-margin models such as the Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, Chevy Tahoe and Cadillac Escalade. The inventory shake-up also comes after a number of production pauses at several General Motors truck plants over the past year, including temporary halts for the Chevy Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD at the automaker’s Flint Assembly plant, Chevy Silverado production at the Oshawa auto plant in Canada, and Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra production at the Silao plant in Mexico.
Jacobson also acknowledged the impact on retail performance, stating that “lower inventory is limiting retail sales” even though General Motors maintains its leadership in the full-size pickup segment.
“Going forward, we are working to increase inventory levels of key products and are confident that we can increase this in the next few quarters while remaining mindful of the broader demand environment,” Jacobson said.
General Motors’ total sales declined during the first quarter of this year, falling 10 percent to 626,429 units in the US market. All four General Motors brands in the US experienced declines, including Chevy, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. However, General Motors increased its market share in the full-size pickup segment with combined sales of the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra by 204,425 units.
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