Improvements to The GM Card and the Pontiac Grand Am warranty that were recently announced in the U.S. have not been given the greenlight in Canada -- at least yet.
GM of Canada's Phil Kling says the Oshawa-based company does not intend to offer the new Solid Commitment, 60-month/60,000-mile program that Pontiac will offer on Grand Am south of the border. "Solid Commitment is an indisputable demonstration of the exceptional build quality and reliability of the Grand Am," says Sam Mancuso, Grand Am brand manager. "It's the closest thing to risk-free ownership available."
Kling says this program is meant to reinforce the US brand team's "excitement well built" strategy while the Canadian brand team uses a "responsive performance on demand," which apparently does not need a better warranty.
"Our customers already believe the Grand Am is a reliable vehicle," says Kling, so "We therefore are not planning to duplicate the US program in Canada.
Kling says GM of Canada is, however, still considering the possibility of instituting changes to the GM credit card that would allow cardholders to get to a new maximum rebate on each vehicle more quickly.
The new card still gives customers 5 percent earnings on every credit card purchase toward a rebate to buy or lease a new GM vehicle, but it no longer has the US$500 maximum annual amount. At the same time, The GM Card no longer allows a maximum rebate of US$3,500 that it used to have.
But for now this is pretty academic to Canadians.