DETROIT, June 29 (UPI) -- General Motors Corp.'s decision to offer vehicles to U.S. consumers for the same price its employees pay has been a huge success.
Preliminary June data indicate the marketing move boosted GM sales 20 percent to 30 percent and lifted monthly market share to 30 percent from 25.4 percent, USA Today reported Wednesday.
"Our share the first five months has been abysmal. June, it'll be good," said Mark LaNeve, GM vice president of sales and marketing, without providing actual figures.
Analysts say money is not the main attraction of the program.
"The No. 1 reason this promotion is succeeding is not that people are getting great deals, but that they don't have to negotiate. They know they paid the same price their neighbor did," says Jesse Toprak, analyst at Edmunds.com, an online car-shopping service. "People tell us they'd rather have root-canal work than negotiate for a car."
GM's program is to end Tuesday but may be extended.
