MILFORD, Mich. -

General Motors rolled out an ambitious strategic plan on Wednesday, insisting that in 2015, about 27 percent of GM’s global sales volume is expected to come from products new or refreshed within 18 months.

Does it mean when that new metal becomes used — or more specifically, certified pre-owned — the growth prospects still will be as strong?

In what perhaps sheds some light on that question, Kelley Blue Book senior analyst Eric Ibara, who specializes in examining residual values, honed in on what he believes are the strong parts of the automaker’s lineup and where it still faces stiff challenges.

“Since emerging from bankruptcy, General Motors has based its comeback on superior products like the Corvette,” Ibara said in comments provided to the media. “Now the high-margin Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon and Escalade utilities will not only increase sales, but contribute to larger overall margins. 

“In this market, the battle is never ending as the new front will be in pickup trucks,” he continued. “Colorado and Canyon are projected to do well, but Silverado and Sierra will have to defend their ground against not only the new aluminum F-150 but also against a resurgent Ram truck. 

“Still, it can be argued that the GM lineup is the most competitive that it has been in a long time,” Ibara went on to say.

And that lineup likely is having an impact of what GM is doing in the CPO market.

According to the September data from Autodata Corp., certified sales for the OEM’s Buick, Chevrolet, GMC, Pontiac and Saturn brands reached 37,426 units in August, up 21.9 percent year-over-year. Yearly sales through eight months are up almost 10 percent at 255,077 units.

Elsewhere at GM, Cadillac had 1,848 certified sales in August (up 16.2 percent), and year-to-date CPO sales are at 13,720 (up 10.0 percent).

And speaking of Cadillac, GM reiterated the importance of moving the luxury brand’s headquarters to New York. Officials indicated Cadillac expects to introduce four new vehicles in North America in 2015, including the recently announced CT6. In addition, Cadillac plans to introduce nine new models in the next five years in China, which is expected to become the world's largest luxury car market later this decade.

GM chief executive officer Mary Barra and her executive leadership team outlined the company’s strategic plan at a conference for investors and financial analysts on Wednesday at the company’s Milford Proving Ground.

“In the nine months that this leadership team has been together, we have spent a significant amount of time setting our goals for the future of GM and developing a specific action plan,” Barra said.

“Our strategic plan is a pathway to earn customers for life and create significant shareholder value in the process. Every chance to connect with a customer is an opportunity to build a stronger relationship,” she added.

GM’s strategic plan includes several major initiatives that the company anticipates will help it achieve 9- to 10-percent margins on an EBIT-adjusted basis by early next decade.

Both Kelley Blue Book senior analyst Karl Brauer and AutoTrader.com senior analyst Michelle Krebs emphasized how this plan is devised to get GM past the record number of recalls made so far this year, including all the controversy surrounding faulty ignition switches in older vehicles.

“Mary Barra and GM's management team are clearly ready to move past this year's recall issues and focus on the job of advancing the automaker’s long-term goals. Improved product lines in the United States and abroad, as well as increased global reach, will give GM an opportunity to grow its overall sales and profitability,” Brauer said.

“Barra's long-term plan calls for an investment in connectivity and autonomous technology, two areas every automaker has to take seriously over the next decade to stay competitive,” he continued.

“If Barra and her team can keep GM on the leading edge of this technology wave, while also managing fixed costs and maintaining the company’s overall product competitiveness, they should be able to achieve the financial goals set forth in this plan,” Brauer went on say.

Meanwhile, Krebs made the connection that potentially GM is taking a strategic page out of book of domestic rival Ford and how Blue Oval leadership steadied the automaker in the past decade.

“GM's new management team, on the job since January but focused on the recall fiasco, is finally getting around to setting a future course for the company. They are finally seeing firm deadlines for goals, such as improving operating margins and turning around Europe, that before were vague. They also are laying out an aggressive schedule of new products and technology,” Krebs said.

“Now the challenge will be for CEO Mary Barra and her lieutenants to stay the course and hold everyone accountable for meeting those goals. That's how now-retired Ford CEO Alan Mulally turned Ford around — with consistency, continuity, focus and accountability,” Krebs continued.

“In the past, GM has not held people accountable and has zigged and zagged on various courses. Let's see if this team will crack the whip,” she went on to say.