A GM vehicle will set you back around $52,000. Here's why that's higher than average.

Despite all the pressures facing consumers these days — and there are many — it seems that they’re still very interested in buying trucks and SUVs with high sticker prices.This is good news for General Motors, which posted strong profits last quarter, and raised its full year earnings outlook for the second time. Customers spent $52,000 on average on GM’s vehicles, which is about $2,000 higher than the national average. Why are GM’s earnings exceeding expectations? Mostly because big trucks and SUVs are the most profitable cars out there. And GM sells a lot of them.“Trucks and SUVs actually make up over 95% of what they sell, versus the 78% industry-wide,” said Erin Keating at Cox Automotive. Because GM has basically stopped making smaller, regular cars, the average price of what they’re selling is naturally going to be higher, according to Keating.“When your lineup skews that hard towards $60,000 to $90,000 trucks and SUVs, the average price just goes up,” she said. GM has also benefitted from the fact that Ford has been dealing with supply chain issues, and hasn’t been able to make as many of its popular F-series pickups lately, according to Sam Fiorani at AutoForecast Solutions.“These very profitable vehicles are now even more profitable because dealers aren't negotiating for lower prices,” Fiorani said. When consumers have fewer options, companies with something to offer have the upper hand. Plus, according to Fiorani, buying any new car is just a lot of money these days — almost no matter what kind of car you’re looking at. “The national average is heading in the same direction that GM is. So $52,000 is not that far from where the national average is today,” he explained. “The market is moving up, and vehicles are just getting more expensive.”The rise in average prices across the board is largely because most carmakers have stopped making smaller, cheaper models, and nearly all new cars today have more technology and safety features than they used to. At this point, the roughly $50,000 new car has kind of become the new normal, according to Stephanie Brinley at Mobility Global. “Used car prices have remained relatively high as well, so going used isn't always the right answer,” Brinley said. “And there's a bit of just, ‘I have to make it work.’”Plus, there’s another thing working to car companies’ advantage, according to Brinley. Its’s not just about “have to” — a lot of people want a nice, new SUV.And they’re willing to pay for it.