General Motors expects only a modest increase in pretax profits this year as it rolls out multiple new cars and trucks worldwide.
The company also thinks global auto sales will grow modestly this year, driven by the U.S. and China, while European car sales fall.
The company told analysts in Detroit Tuesday that its pretax profit margin in North America should rise from 8 percent to 10 percent in the next three or four years. The automaker posted nearly $4 billion in net income during the first nine months of last year, including almost $1.5 billion in the third quarter. Analysts polled by FactSet expect GM to report $5.35 billion in net income, or $3.24 per share, when it posts 2012 earnings in a few weeks.
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