General Motors is making a push for a four channel distribution network — with Saturn and Chevrolet dealers being stand alone stores and Buick , Pontiac and GMC and Cadillac , Hummer and Saab being lumped together under one roof — and it appears as though the Detroit-based automaker will help those dealers who wish to consolidate the latter — the company’s luxury brands.
GM has yet to reveal how many stores it will financial help to consolidate into one superstore, but the automaker did confirm that it has helped some dealerships make the move.
GM won’t force any stores to consolidate, but will help out where a merger makes sense. As of now, GM has 1,400 U.S. Cadillac stores and only 238 Saab and 170 Hummer stores, meaning that more Saab and Hummer stores will likely see a merger. “We have to get a standing (list) of places so that if we had some money, we’d sure like this guy to be over here, or the city has grown up around him, or his facility is worn down and he doesn’t want to invest,” Cadillac General Manager Jim Taylor told Automotive News.
Despite all three of GM’s luxury brands having a very unique identity, Hummer General Manager Martin Walsh says the stores should blend without a problem. Walsh noted that only 34 of Hummer franchises are stand alone stores.
