The price GM is offering to everyone is the actual employee price. I qualify through a retired grandparent and I was looking at buying my fiance a Pontiac G6 at the end of May, but waited. I figured they would increase the cash back, but they brought out the employee price for everyone and cut the rebates. Hopefully they will end this on schedule so I can get the G6 for her.

Nick

 

my friend just cashed in on a trailblazer for $24,000, dont know what they run, but he was happy.

 

Bad experiences with GM.

Local Ford dealer is offering Ford SUPPLIER Pricing.....kind of what phox was discussing. If you ever want to get a hollow pit in your stomach, see what bid pricing is on government vehicles. The Dealers still make some profit, and the car companies don't hand these things away, so the profit margin on these vehicles must be huge...

 

Saturday, July 2, 2005 (Today) AP reports;

Chrysler Group to follow GM's hit with own discount-for-all program
General Motors Corp.'s sales soared 41 percent in June to their highest monthly total in nearly 19 years, thanks to a heavily promoted discount that allowed customers to buy cars and trucks at the employee rate, sales figures showed yesterday.

In response, DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group said it will match GM starting July 6 with an employee-discount program of its own. Despite falling sales, Ford Motor Co. declined to match GM.

Asian brands also continued their surge last month. Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. all posted their best June sales periods ever in the United States, while South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. said June was its best single month on record.

Chrysler Group said that sales were up 1.1 percent in June, the company's seventh consecutive quarter of year-over-year increases.

GM, the world's biggest automaker, said that June amounted to its best month since September 1986. Paul Ballew, GM's executive director of global market and industry analysis, said that the company will announce soon whether it plans to continue the far-reaching discount, which began June 1 and is scheduled to end Tuesday.

The boom was driven by record truck sales, which increased 69 percent. The Chevrolet Silverado full-size pickup led the industry as its sales more than doubled, GM said.

"We see this as an indication that America's desire for trucks and SUVs is still a strong force in the marketplace," said GM's vice president of marketing, Mark LaNeve.

Ballew said that GM attracted about 150,000 new customers in June. They typically bought vehicles for an average of $400 to $500 less than they would have paid in May, he said.

GM sales for the first six months of the year rose 2.7 percent. Its truck sales rose 6.3 percent; car sales fell 2.3 percent.

Ford, the nation's second-biggest automaker, said that its domestic sales fell 2.5 percent in June from a year ago and dropped 4.3 percent for the first six months of the year, despite hits like the sporty Mustang and growing sales of its crossover vehicles.

Ford said that June sales of the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brand cars rose 7.7 percent, helped by the Mustang and Ford Five Hundred sedan, but truck sales fell 7.3 percent.

Ford's top sales analyst, George Pipas, said that Ford considered matching GM at the beginning of June but decided to stick with its sales strategy. Ford began offering $1,000 last month to employees who persuaded friends and relatives to buy a Ford. That deal runs through Sept. 30.

Pipas acknowledged GM's program as a huge success but said that attracting buyers after the promotion will be more difficult.

"The interesting thing about a clear, compelling message is that it's a clear, compelling message," he said. "Customers know when it's on and when it's off."

Pipas said he believes that GM's discount is an attempt to clear out 2005 inventory before the fall and won't escalate into a pricing war between the automakers.

Ballew said that the discount significantly cut GM's inventory. He also said that the program fits well with GM's desire to get away from incentive spending and focus more on its vehicles' value.

"I don't know if there needs to be an exit strategy because this program provides a nice bridge to what we want to do in '06," Ballew said.

Chrysler's sales were up 1.1 percent in June. The company had an 11-percent drop in demand for its popular Chrysler 300C sedan, and a 1.5-percent decline in car sales overall. Chrysler's total sales were up 5.2 percent for the first six months of the year.

Gary Dilts, the senior vice president of sales at Chrysler, said that Chrysler decided to match GM's offer because customers were attracted to its simplicity.

"It's not a bad way to go for the '05 model year," Dilts said.

 

Well there are some people stupid enough to get the "employee discount" and save 4,500 when they couldve just taken the rebates (worth 6000), or 0% financing (worth about 7,000) and be happier.

Its all marketing to make you think youre getting a better value.

 

Ballew said that GM attracted about 150,000 new customers in June. They typically bought vehicles for an average of $400 to $500 less than they would have paid in May, he said.
...but if they pay cash and still get the $3500 rebate they still only saved about $400 - $500
more than they might have in May? I would have thought they would have saved $1200 or so more during the emp discount sale. I guess the emp discount is not as much as others here have said.
Nat