GM car show hits road

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

GM car show hits road

Workers to try out newest products

BY TIM HIGGINS

FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

The trucks left Friday for a 40-factory road show to bring some of General Motors' newest vehicles to the company's workers across the country.

It's part of GM's effort to give more workers a chance to test-drive the company's cars and trucks, and possibly lead to new sales for the automaker.

GM sales were up 14% in January, but the company is still rebuilding after emerging from bankruptcy in July.

Vehicles -- such as the Chevrolet Equinox midsize SUV and Buick LaCrosse sedan -- should arrive Monday at the first stops: GM plants in Arlington, Texas; Shreveport, La.; Defiance, Ohio, and Tonawanda, N.Y.

The 40 facilities in the U.S. and Canada, which have approximately 40,000 employees, will get vehicles to use for a month to allow workers to test-drive. The tour is slated to end in December.

Some workers could get a chance to take a vehicle home for the night while others might take it for a spin around the block. Company officials also expect that the vehicles could be used in local community events.

Wendy Stachowicz, GM vehicle advocate program manager, said each facility is being given the flexibility to come up with its own programs on how the vehicles will be used.

Over the past nine months, GM has put greater emphasis on getting non-management employees in its vehicles.

"They are great spokespeople for the company," Stachowicz said.

The program is an extension of a test-drive program launched last summer after GM filed for bankruptcy.

As part of efforts to improve the company's imagine with its own workers, Stachowicz began setting up test-drives of new vehicles at various GM offices around southeast Michigan.

Between June and December last year, the company held 38 ride-and-drive events for workers, allowing 4,000 employees to try out the vehicles.

The company also has begun allowing non-management employees at the Renaissance Center to test-drive vehicles overnight.

"The excitement is there. Everyone is really interested in getting in them and (taking) them out into the world and really (being) advocates for our company," she said.

link:

http://www.freep.com/article/20100227/BUSINESS01/2270320/1210/GM-car-show-hits-road

[daves87rs]

Cool!

[GMTruckGuy74]

Bring back the GM Auto Show in Motion to the masses!!

[hyperv6]

Chevy was doing a show Ride and drive at the Cleveland Auto Show this week.

They had many of the Chevy line up ready to drive including two Bumble Bee Camaro's.

The only bad thing is it was indoors but the IX center in Cleveland is one of the worlds largest buildings in the world and still provided an area large enogh to hive a sort of a test drive.

I got to drive a Hydrogen Power Cell Nox. They had an acceleration area and I was able to keep in the traction control nearly the length of the area we were in.

I too with they would bring back the Auto Show in Motion. I went every years. I would love to see the Z06 replaced with the ZR1. Here at Cleveland we would show up early eand get out there. They would often let us take extra laps since no onw else was there year. They even let up drive em hard.

GM did provide a Ride and Drive for the Camaro and a few other models at a Camaro event last year. It was over public roads and higheays. Not only did it give a good real world drive we were permitted to shut off the traction control if we likes and reach speeeds of choice. That is as long as you paid the ticket. LOL! Most I knew that took the drive all saw over 100 MPH on interstate 76. All I could say is the GM folks in the cars were very brave!

I get the feeling we may see more of this in the future. Putting butts in the seats to see how good some of these cars are is the only way they will get people to know how good they are.

Edited February 28, 2010 by hyperv6

[GMTruckGuy74]

Yeah, in the past Pontiac showed up at the All-GM Nationals show in Carlisle (PA) and you could drive around on the show grounds (15-25 MPH limit b/c of the attendees and showcars). The last two years Chevy was there instead of Pontiac; would be nice to see Buick, GMC, and Cadillac at the "All-GM" show this year or next. My only issue is that children had to be over 8 or 10 y-o to ride in the vehicles - I wouldn't be upset if it was out on the public roadways because of the increased speed (MPH) you'd be doing, but it's done on a closed, off-road course with a limited speed (MPH), spotters on the course and a rep in the vehicle with you. I wanted to drive the pre-production '10 Equinox last June, but my son (3 y-o at the time) wanted to go too - since he was "too young" he wasn't allowed, and I didn't feel right going without him. But I went to only one ASiM, in Philadelphia in 2004, and loved it. I could see them not bring the competitors cars this time around, focusing only on GM models instead, but I will be on the lookout for any ride and drives I can find

Edited February 28, 2010 by GMTruckGuy74

[Z-06]

Bring back the GM Auto Show in Motion to the masses!!

It was so successful here for all the three iterations (March 2004, 2005 and Nov 2005). GM has more great products now than it did in Nov 2005 (last one). It makes absolute sense to bring it back.

[hyperv6]

Yeah, in the past Pontiac showed up at the All-GM Nationals show in Carlisle (PA) and you could drive around on the show grounds (15-25 MPH limit b/c of the attendees and showcars). The last two years Chevy was there instead of Pontiac; would be nice to see Buick, GMC, and Cadillac at the "All-GM" show this year or next. My only issue is that children had to be over 8 or 10 y-o to ride in the vehicles - I wouldn't be upset if it was out on the public roadways because of the increased speed (MPH) you'd be doing, but it's done on a closed, off-road course with a limited speed (MPH), spotters on the course and a rep in the vehicle with you. I wanted to drive the pre-production '10 Equinox last June, but my son (3 y-o at the time) wanted to go too - since he was "too young" he wasn't allowed, and I didn't feel right going without him. But I went to only one ASiM, in Philadelphia in 2004, and loved it. I could see them not bring the competitors cars this time around, focusing only on GM models instead, but I will be on the lookout for any ride and drives I can find

That is what trunks are for? LOL!

Yesterday they were holding it to kids over 57 inches and had to watch them remove some people from line. I was shocked at 57" as some adults are challanged to hit that mark.