GMC Aims for Big Gains in Truck Market Share

The head of sales for General Motors Co.'s GMC brand tells reporters the unit intends to hike its share of the American light truck market from 3% today to at least 5% in 10 years by broadening its product line and doubling its advertising.

Duncan Aldred sees plenty of unspecified opportunity to widen the brand's customer base. He did acknowledge that GMC doesn't currently compete in such market segments as small crossovers or traditional "lifestyle" SUVs such as the Jeep Wrangler.

Alfred also declines to say how much GMC planes to spend on advertising. Reuters cites industry data suggesting the brand's outlay in the first nine months of 2014 climbed 14% to more than $177 million, or roughly 4% of GM's total add spend.

Reuters notes that increasing GMC sales is especially attractive to GM because truck profit margins are significantly higher than those for cars.