Garrett Stack
ANDERSON — General Motors has emerged from bankruptcy in record time, and local GM dealers have a renewed confidence in an old company.
The new GM is streamlining its company and cars, moving to a more fuel efficient and green line of autos, and focusing more on their customers.
“I feel very positive about GM,” said Mary Jamerson, president of Myers Autoworld in Anderson. “For it to emerge from Chapter 11 so quickly is a good thing, not only for our customers, but for the country as a whole.”
Jamerson, a Buick, Pontiac and GMC dealer, thinks that the company has emerged “leaner and more nimble” from the bankruptcy.
“They were already on a good path before the bankruptcy,” she said. “They’ve made an investment to hybrids, and are competing globally.”
There is a stigma that American cars, especially GM cars, are not as good as cars produced by Japanese companies like Toyota, but Elwood GM dealer Jerry Kutche disagrees.
“There was a time when the cars were inferior, but that was in the past,” Kutche said. “Our cars our competitive price wise, fuel-economy wise, and quality wise. I think GM has more fuel efficient cars than Toyota.”
Business has not been great for all car dealers in these poor economic times, but Jamerson said that her business has not been affected by GM’s bankruptcy.
“I did not have a fall in sales,” Jamerson said. “It was one of the nice surprises. Our June sales month this year was better than our June sales month from last year.”
With the assurance from the U.S. government that all GM warranties would be backed, buyers did not seem to be fazed by the bankruptcy, but GM still has a lot of work to do to improve their image in the U.S.
Kutche believes that they can do it though.
“The know what to do,” he said. “America makes a wonderful car, and we need to get the American people back in American cars.”
With all of the competition facing GM from both home and abroad, it will be a steep climb back to the top of the Forbes 500 list.
GM had been number one on the Forbes list for 35 years and was ranked as the top global automaker for 77 years.
“Competition is for the good of the marketplace and the consumer,” Jamerson said. “And at the end of the day, that’s what we’re all in it for: the consumer.”
Contact Garrett Stack: 640-4878, garrett.stack@heraldbulletin.com
