Sep 1, 2008

GM Getting Aggressive on Fuel Economy

With gas getting more expensive these days, it isn’t surprising that many Americans may be thinking of trading in their older gas guzzler. High gas and food prices have many Americans looking for ways to cut costs. But when many Americans think of high fuel mileage, they think of import vehicles -- most notably those from the Japanese brands. General Motors would like to counter that notion, and now it is becoming more active in getting the word out.

“GM has 17 vehicles that get over 30 miles per gallon. That's more than Honda or Toyota,” said Jim Campbell of General Motors. “In addition to that, we have a wide variety of hybrids that are offered by Saturn, Chevrolet and other divisions here at General Motors.”

GM has recently announced that a new strategy for appealing to more cost-conscious customers who are seeking higher fuel economy -- both in the short term and the long term. GM is putting a full-court press on in developing high fuel efficiency vehicles that it can sell profitably.

“Some 18 of the next 19 vehicles that we’re going to introduce here over the next two years are going to be cars or crossovers that provide great fuel economy and great utility,” Campbell said.
In the short term, GM is putting its cars and trucks on sale, hoping to lure bargain shoppers in what has been a difficult market for virtually all car makers this year. One effort is a revival of its popular GM Employee Discount Program, which was successful a couple of years ago in drawing customers into the showroom.