When General Motors ( NYS: GM ) reports fourth-quarter and 2011 earnings next month, I expect few surprises. Sales have been decent, product-development efforts seem to be on track, and the continued struggles of key competitors Toyota ( NYS: TM ) and Honda ( NYS: HMC ) should make for a solidly profitable quarter. After all, Toyota and Honda were plagued by truly out-of-the-ordinary supply disruptions due to floods across Thailand. GM for the most part avoided major surprises during the past year.