GM's resurrected employee pricing includes almost all Chevrolet cars and trucks in  U.S. dealership showrooms

The discount offer takes effect on Wednesday, August 20th 2008 and marks GM's return to a strategy it had abandoned in the last two years in an effort to make its pricing more transparent and to wean American consumers from fire-sale blowout deals.

But the downturn in U.S. auto sales has hit GM hard. Sales through July were down almost 18 percent and the automaker has faced pressure to cut costs amid signs that industrywide sales would remain slack in August despite lower gasoline prices.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, and that's what we're seeing from GM," said Jesse Toprak, an analyst who tracks incentives for automotive Web site Edmunds.

GM will offer employee discounts on all 2008 model year Chevrolets in addition to cash-back offers on slower-selling models such as the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck, according to a dealer briefed by GM on the plan.

The offer also will include employee pricing on some 2009 model-year vehicles, including the Cobalt sedan and HHR compact wagon, two of the more fuel-efficient Chevy models, according to the dealer, who was not authorized to discuss the plan

Source: Reuters