Parts acquired directly from GM might also play a part in your vehicle's overall value, which help you get a better trade-in rate when you sell it. This aspect of the deal varies from model to model, so it needs to be discussed with a dealer when you're thinking of buying a new vehicle.
Parts from car companies can also be covered by the new vehicle warranty, and there's also evidence that they usually fit better and have higher quality ratings.
All of these changes are good for the consumer and, it follows, for GM, since they make it more attractive to buy accessories at the dealership.
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| In 2001, GM Accessories offered 150 parts and products. Right now they have more than 500, with many more on the way. (Photo: General Motors) |
Surprising as it may sound, doing things that might help increase their share of the huge aftermarket business is pretty new for just about every auto company, not just GM. In the past, they were content to make their money selling and financing vehicles, while the vast majority of the accessories market went to companies that specialized in such things.
Those days are gone, and GM for one is looking to upgrade the number of accessories it sells and, from that, the amount of money it earns.
In 2001, GM Accessories offered 150 parts and products. Right now they have more than 500, and they should have more than twice as many by the end of 2004.
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| GM's accessory sales grew by 60 percent from 2001 to 2002, and 40 percent from 2002 to 2003, and should go up 50 percent in 2004. (Photo: General Motors) |
Accessories are a growth business inside GM, the general manager of the firm's Service and Parts Organization, Doug Herberger, explained in an interview at SEMA.