Global Insight is usually very accurate, however this new set of information has left out some very important data. GMInsidenews has done some research to compile the true sales figures for the year.

Global Insight failed to include production figures from GM’s Chinese joint ventures, which have always been counted as part of the final global tallies. With those included properly, General Motors is actually on top so far this year, followed by Volkswagen, Toyota and Ford.

Apparently, Volkswagen being on top is too sensastional of a story though. The Number One position isn’t the most important measure of success however, as GM has proved in the past. Volkswagen has had an excellent year and a marked improvement in volume rankings from where they were before. They are well on their way of reaching their goal of being at the top.

Those plans are now in limbo. There is still is the remote possibility the vehicle could be built for Penske as the contract negotiations are ongoing, but that scenario is unlikely given GM’s desire to use the technology in other applications.

What vehicle will be using it then? Some have speculated the new Chevrolet Equinox and Cadillac SRX could be candidates for the technology. However, it could be used for a new crossover for Buick. I’ve heard rumors of this from GM sources for quite sometime, before the Saturn sale was even on the radar, so it certainly makes sense. The image above was captured from a CBS Interview with Ed Welburn, courtesy of GMVolt.com.

It wouldn’t require any platform development to shoehorn it in another platform either; the Vue would be reskinned for duty at Buick. I think this makes a lot of sense; it really goes along with changing perceptions about Buick as well as the new advertising campaign being launched. I’m looking forward to the new products we’ll see from the “New Buick”.

Even if Buick lost money in North America (which it doesn’t) it would make sense keeping it open for the big profits and sales in China. Furthermore, great products have come (Enclave) and are coming (2010 LaCrosse) that hold a lot of promise. GM has a really big opportunity to go after Lexus with Buick, offering cars with some style. Leave Cadillac to take on BMW.

So in the midst of bankruptcy, GM is launching a new advertising campaign to boost Buick. GM promised that the 4 remaining brands would get increased investment with more money freed up for better marketing and products. They’re putting that to action with this new campaign. “Everything You Thought About Buick Just Went Boom….Take a Look at Me Now” is what’s appearing on their website.

It seems like “Take a Look at Me Now” is the new tagline. I’m not so sure about it, I’ll have to see it in a real advertisement first. The introduction on the website is very well done though. Apparently the tagline and campaign have been heavily researched though so we’ll see how it works out with the intended audience. They just need to get the Lucurne off of there….

The announcement was made by GM’s interim chairman Kent Kressa, who will still serve in that post during the bankruptcy process. This is a good announcement for GM, putting someone with a successful business experience and valued brand name (AT&T) in connection with GM.

Of course, I couldn’t make a post about AT&T without mentioning the iPhone! Yesterday was WWDC where Apple announced new hardware and software. Most relevant to automotive fans though is two new applications, Zipcar and TomTom GPS Navigation. The TomTom system will finally bring a real turn-by-turn, voice-guided navigation system to the iPhone.

It is rumored to be around $150, an very expensive application to be sure, but less then the price of a new dedicated unit. Going along with that as a separate item is a cradle that will stick via suction cup to the windshield, charging the iPhone, enabling music playback through the stereo and boosting the GPS signal.

Zipcar also employs cool technology like the ability to locate a Zipcar near you as well as being able to unlock it (!). Pretty amazing stuff. I’m looking forward to the new 3.0 MP camera, video abilities, and voice technology, not to mention improved processor speed. I’ve got a white iPhone 3G S on order!

Certainly with the Impala SS, the cancellation isn’t a huge loss. But what about taking up the slack from Pontiac? It’s true that Pontiac’s mission could easily be folded into SS models of Chevrolet vehicles, I’ve said that before. These cancellations don’t fit into that at all though. 

The biggest mistake in my opinion is cutting the Cobalt SS Sedan. The best thing that the Cobalt has going for it is the SS trim level. The standard car is merely competitive but the performance models have gone above and beyond. The car magazines in particular have fell in love with the SS Coupe, placing it high in comparison tests and saying it was an excellent entry from the brand in the important small car performance segment.

Normally Chevrolet hasn’t played well in that market; they have with the Cobalt SS though. The positive magazine reviews have generated a lot of good press that could be vital in helping to win over the youth demographic. So why the cancellation of the sedan? Doesn’t make sense.

Thank goodness they’ve left the Cobalt SS Coupe alone (as far as we can tell at least). Who knows, maybe the Coupe is next……

Every single automaker has experienced declining sales this month in comparison with with April 2008 (year-over-year). That includes brands that have been faring better (even posting increases) this year like Subaru, Hyundai and Kia.

They’re still outperforming the rest of the market though, with sales at Hyundai down by 13.56% and at Kia, down 14.8%. That number was good enough to gain market share and as a result Hyundai-Kia pulled ahead of Nissan as the sixth largest automaker in the United States.

The most surprising numbers are the individual brand rankings! It looks like Ford product mix, advertising and a comparative lack of doomsday talk are having an effect on it’s sales relative to others in the market. Ford,  albeit by a very small margin, is now the top selling brand in the country! Sales came in at 116,263 compared to No. 2 Chevrolet’s 115,265 and No. 3 Toyota’s 112,345. The top 3 are all neck and neck, very close to each other.

The shocker? Toyota’s sales numbers are down a whopping -42.19% and the brand has slid to No. 3. Just a year ago, Chevrolet and Toyota were battling it out for the No. 1 brand in America title. Now Toyota’s whopping -41.87% company-wide decline is the largest of any of the automakers save for Chrysler, LLC. In addition, Toyota is back to Number 3 in the United States after pushing out Ford for that spot.

They are definitely hurting. The Top 3 rankings for April work out like this: 1. General Motors Corp. at 173,007 (down -33.69%), 2. Ford Motor Company at 134,401 (down 31.56%) and 3. Toyota Motor Corp. clocking in at 126, 540 (down 41.87%).

It’s clear this turmoil in the auto industry is reordering the sales charts, with Toyota taking big blows. Once the market recovers again, I wonder who the eventual sales winners and losers will turn out to be. I’m quite confident Ford will be looking good and if it survives without government help, will emerge much stronger as a result of this.