The first thing you notice when you compare GM's lineup for 2000 and 2001 is that the get-in price for one of the Oshawa company's products has gone up considerably, but particularly for cars.
The decision to discontinue the subcompact Chevrolet Metro and Pontiac Firefly models last Spring leaves the Chevrolet Cavalier coupe as the lowest-priced GM car for 2001, at $16,906. Last year, the Metro hatchback carried a base MSRP of $11,410.
On the truck side, the cancellation of the Isuzu Hombre compact pickup for 2001 means that the Chevrolet S-10 regular-cab, short-box, 2WD model is the least expensive GM pickup at $17,025. The least expensive Hombre was $14,095.
Beyond that, in general it looks like GM is continuing to raise its sticker prices as it carries on its efforts to make vehicles sold in Canada as profitable as those sold in the U.S., or as close to it as possible.
So there are price increases for no apparent reason, such as the $990 boost for the Cavalier coupe in its base form, which is ageing and sinking in sales.
Sometimes, however, there are models that get a price boost apparently because they've caught on with consumers, such as the Oldsmobile Alero coupe and sedan, whose base prices went to $21,590 and $21,325, respectively, from $20,445 in 2000.
There are also price increases for models that have been upgraded for 2001, including the jump from $16,620 to $17,025 for the base Chevrolet S-10.
Whatever the actual sticker prices are for 2001, it's important to remember that you don't have to pay the MSRP or anything close to it if you don't want to.