posted on January 6, 2004 05:00:45 AM new
ok, you know how you get those emails where they always claim something and usually it's a big hoax? I got one that's real!
GM is giving away 1,000 cars in 56 days. No test drive, no sales pressure...just go by the dealership. Here's the story from Financial Times:
GM giveaway to win back sales
By Jeremy Grant and James Mackintosh in Detroit
Published: January 4 2004 19:10 | Last Updated: January 4 2004 19:10
General Motors will give away 1,000 new vehicles in a two-month promotion, as the world's largest carmaker tries to recapture the US market share it has lost to foreign competitors.
The promotion came as GM, Ford and Chrysler on Sunday night unveiled 40 new or improved vehicles at Detroit's annual motor show, in a product offensive which is designed to restore the fortunes of their ailing passenger car business.
The "Big Three" have seen their collective market share in the US fall over the past decade as they concentrated largely on sport utility vehicles, pickups and minivans (people carriers) but neglected passenger cars.
Foreign carmakers – including Toyota and Honda of Japan – grew by building better-quality passenger cars than those being offered by Detroit. Foreign carmakers increased their share of the US market to about 40 per cent last year from 24 per cent in the mid-1980s.
Chris Ceraso, auto analyst at Credit Suisse First Boston, said in a report: "The focus on passenger cars is a major departure for the domestic automakers, whose car line-ups have grown out-of-date and uncompetitive."
GM plans to replace 39 per cent of its passenger range this year based on 2002 sales volume, up from 14 per cent last year and 9 per cent in 2002. Toyota is replacing only 17 per cent of its passenger range this year.
The carmaker on Sunday night displayed the sixth generation of its Corvette sports car, the flagship in its Chevrolet marque, which accounts for about half of GM's total US vehicle sales and is heavily weighted towards passenger cars. Ford, which is two years into a multi-billion dollar restructuring, unveiled four passenger cars, including a fresh version of its iconic Mustang.
The company also revived the Bronco marque with a concept vehicle that could provide the basis for the production of a small but rugged SUV.
Chrysler, the US unit of Germany's DaimlerChrysler, showed two rear-wheel sedans, including the Dodge Magnum, a sporty, car-based station wagon that reflects a growing trend towards "crossover" vehicles that combine car and SUV characteristics.
The GM promotion starting on Tuesday – which it claimed to be "the largest vehicle giveaway in history" – involves the whole of its 54-vehicle product range. Consumers have a chance to win a vehicle by visiting a dealership and pushing a "hot button" hooked up to a call centre through GM's OnStar on-board vehicle communications system.
GM expects 5.5m people to take part in the promotion, which is costing $50m, half of which is the value of the vehicles.
Steve Hill, GM's director of retail planning, said: "Given that the chances of winning are about one in 5,500 – which is a lot better than many lottery odds of about one in 14m – we know this promotion will have a great deal of consumer appeal."
posted on January 6, 2004 05:11:35 AM new
Here was the email. If you put "Bob Oliphint Gm" in google you see that he owns a dealship in TX I think I read.
Subject: Fwd: GM Promotion
> This is from a friend of mine for 30 years...i think he works for GM.
> Patti
>
Friends......GM is giving away 1,000 cars and trucks in a month. You can't work for GM or have relatives who work in a dealership, ad agencies, etc....no test drives, no pitches, nothing. Just go to a dealership...and supply them with identification (they're promosing no future promotions)...one call per household. They have you call "On Star" headquarters through a special vehicle. If you win..they tell you so right now. The first of the 1,000 vehicles was given away in upstate NY this morning.
Hey it costs nothing. Just stop by a dealership.
Bob Oliphint
DETROIT - General Motors Corp. plans to give away 1,000 cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles in 56 days beginning Monday as part of a $50 million promotion to generate showroom traffic and build awareness of its nine U.S. brands.
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The world's largest automaker expects 5.5 million people to take part in the Hot Button program, which ends Feb. 29. The company said the odds of winning one of its 54 different 2004 models are about one in 5,500.
Steve Hill, GM's director for retail planning, said the company wants to close the gap between many consumers' perceptions of GM and the reality of its product portfolio. He said many buyers don't know that GM's lineup includes brands such as Saab, Saturn and Hummer.
"We need to be intrusive and get people to take notice," Hill said.
GM plans to encourage consumers to participate in the promotion with a marketing campaign that includes TV, print, Internet and direct mail advertising. To take part, consumers must visit a local GM dealership and press a blue OnStar button in a designated promotional vehicle. OnStar, a GM subsidiary, is the nation's largest in-vehicle communications system.
Contestants will be required to provide identifying information - the last four digits of their driver's license number and home phone number - to an OnStar operator, who in turn will tell them whether they've won.
GM said players will not be required to take a test drive or listen to a sales pitch and the identifying information will not be used in future marketing.
All GM models are included in the contest, but winning vehicles will vary. A person may play only once and only one person from a household may enter. GM employees and immediate family members are not eligible, though GM retirees may take part.
Hill said the company hopes to increase traffic at its 7,000 dealerships by 30 to 40 percent during the promotion. Through November, GM's U.S. sales were down 1.7 percent from the same period a year ago.
"We're going to get fresh people in the showroom we haven't had before," Hill said, adding that the automaker will continue to offer aggressive consumer incentives during the contest.
Dan Gorrell, automotive partner at the marketing research firm Strategic Vision, said GM faces several challenges in luring new buyers with the Hot Button endeavor.
While GM has several new products coming to market this year, so do Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group and many foreign competitors. It's also difficult to win back consumers who may have written off one automaker and switched to another, he said.
"Awareness is the first point, but they need something new and different to show people," Gorrell said. "Otherwise they're going to get the same people who've stayed loyal to GM. It's really tough to break through."
GM is no stranger to large _ and expensive _ promotional campaigns. In 2001, GM launched its "Keep America Rolling" incentive program, which offered interest-free financing as a way to jump start sales in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The program sparked an industrywide incentive war that continues today.
Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
posted on January 6, 2004 05:44:36 AM new
glassgirl, if this is for real and they are doing it Southeast, maybe I can win one? It doesnt hurt to try, right? thanks for the post!!
posted on January 6, 2004 09:01:08 AM new
It is for real and it is happening all over the US. I saw an article about it last night on one of the news sites and about 30 minutes later saw a commercial for it on TV.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
If it's really "common" sense, why do so few people actually have it?
posted on January 6, 2004 09:12:18 AM new
well my husband had to go to town anyway, so he went by but our local GM dealership is still setting it up and it won't be ready until this afternoon. so it is for real but if you want to make sure your dealership is ready you might want to call first. but we will be going back! I'll take the Hummer!
posted on January 6, 2004 10:48:48 AM new
And the "big three" are taking an even bigger hit because Toyota and Honda have come out with clean hybrid vehicles. The Toyota Prius, in particular, is about the hottest car in the country, and waits of 3-6 months are not uncommon right now. It went from a compact to a mid-size for the 2004 model, and has already won the Motor Trend Car of the Year and, most recently, North American Car of the Year. I'm on a waiting list for one myself, and I'm crossing my fingers that it will come it soon! The blessing is that MOST dealerships are only charging MSRP and not gouging customers with "additional dealer markup."
BTW I believe Toyota just announced that they are coming out with a hybrid Highlander for the 2005 model year, and it appears that it will have quite a bit of muscle. If you're in the market for an SUV in 9 months or so, I strongly encourage you to investigate the Highlander. Not only will it be far better for the environment in terms of emissions, it will get MUCH greater gas mileage than a similarly sized gas SUV.
I'm sure dealers are already taking orders for the Highlander, so get on the list early if you want one! Hopefully, they will schedule enough cars for production that the shortage they're having with the Prius won't happen. Toyota just massively underestimated the popularity of a high-mileage "green" car that's as big inside as a Camry. As an added bonus, Virginia (and I think Florida) allow the Prius in their carpool lanes even with one driver. I don't know if the Highlander will be eligible for that, but it sure is a nice perk!!
Note: I don't work for Toyota, and I'm not a rabid environmentalist--I just think it's smart to look seriously at this new technology so we can be a little kinder to the planet. (BTW I live in Southern California, and we're more than a little aware of the effects of smog from so many cars)
