GM goes to church to sell cars

DETROIT, April 18 (UPI) -- General Motors Co. went to a Detroit church Sunday, looking for customers who might want to test drive its vehicles, the pastor says.

GM is using grass-roots events across the country to aid in recovering from last year's bankruptcy, including events in a relaxed environment, The Detroit News reports. The ride-and-drive event was being held at one of Detroit's largest churches, Hartford Memorial Baptist, and allows parishioners to test drive almost every vehicle GM makes, including the Chevrolet extended-range electric car, the report said.

"This is a wonderful opportunity to do something really special for Hartford church members -- something that has never been done at a church in Detroit," the Rev. Charles Adams, pastor of Hartford Memorial, told the News. "Minority suppliers help to provide jobs and financial security for thousands of people in metropolitan Detroit."

The Sunday event also spotlighted jobs and scholarships, among other contributions, in Detroit by GM minority suppliers and dealers, who are the event sponsors, and safety experts will inspect child car seats, the newspaper said.