General Motors has announced that it will be ending employee pricing for its Saab 9-3 , effective for the 2009 model year. GM decided to end the 7 percent employee pricing discount of the 9-3 due to the weak value of the U.S. dollar.
“Our business is under quite a bit of pressure,” Saab spokesman Jan-Willem Vester told Automotive News. “A big part of that is the euro against the U.S. dollar, and the 9-3 is built in Europe. …This was something to protect the profitability on the vehicles.”
Despite ending employee pricing on the 9-3, GM employees will still be eligible for discounts on the 9-5 sedan as it sells at a lower volume in the U.S.
However, the decision to eliminate employee pricing on the 9-3 could be just the first of many. An inside source revealed to Automotive News that the Detroit-based automaker could eliminate employee pricing for other vehicles built overseas, such as the Saturn Astra, Chevrolet Aveo and Pontiac G8.
