Several dealer groups and one U.S. Senator have accused General Motors of coercing dealers into signing a letter that opposes a bill that would overturn the automaker’s decision to close about 2,400 stores, but the Detroit automaker says in no way did it strong-arm retailers into sign the document.
GM openly admits it called several dealers to inform them of the bill, but says dealers were never forced to sign any documents opposing the bill. “The calls informed dealers of a Web site where they could log their concerns about the legislation if they wanted to do so,†GM spokesman Peter Ternes told Automotive News. “There was no strong-arming.â€
However, a number of dealerships have complained to dealer associations about GM’s forceful tactics, accusing GM’s management of “heavy-handed pressure tactics and veiled threatsâ€. Some dealers even reported being told that non-compliant stores would be put on a list by GM.
Although the man in charge of the dealer calls, Mark LaNeve, was not available for comment, Ternes presented an email from GM’s sales chief, dated July 7th. “Please make sure the field only asks the dealer to look at it and sign if he agrees. Please don’t pressure the dealers. That is not the intent,†LaNeve’s email said.
Although about 1,500 dealers have signed a petition against the bill, we suspect we haven’t heard the last on the subject as the legislation is gaining momentum on Capitol Hill.
