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GM threatens predatory dealers with order cancellations, non-transferrable warranties

General Motors will launch a second salvo against misbehaving dealerships next week with a new set of policies aimed at curbing predatory markup strategies. With the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06, GMC Hummer EV SUV and Cadillac Escalade-V about to head into production, GM is putting its foot down yet again. Dealers that attempt to circumvent GM's markup restrictions by dealing directly with brokers or other resellers could find themselves in a particularly nasty spot, as the company is threatening to withhold future allocations and end the transferability of warranties when dealers facilitate the reselling of vehicles within 12 months.  While this may help curb some dealership chicanery, it's possible the real loser in such a deal could end up being the customer who unwittingly ends up with an un-warrantied vehicle. We suspect GM has accounted for that, but we'll have to wait until next week to find out exactly how these new policies will be enforced.

Refreshed GMC Terrain is introduced. Again.

Back in January of last year, we got our first look at the refreshed GMC Terrain that was supposed to go on sale sometime last fall as a 2021 model. But that was January 2020, just a couple of blissful months before the world shut down. So the Terrain ended up delayed, just like the Chevy Equinox, and now GMC is re-introducing us to the refreshed crossover, which is slated as the 2022 GMC Terrain. This time around, we've been shown photos of not just the new AT4 off-road oriented trim, but other more common variants. They all get larger grilles, larger headlights and new C-shaped taillights, and all trims get fulling LED exterior lighting. Both the AT4 and Denail get unique grille designs, with the former getting a gunmetal grey design with thick slats, and the latter getting an all-chrome one with more delicate lattice-work between the slats. The AT4 also boasts a front skid plate for protection, and from our early preview last year, it seems to get chunkier tires. The Elevation trim returns, too, as a black-out appearance package for the more entry-level SLE and SLT trims. The interior is mostly unchanged except for a revised shifter panel -- the buttons are new, but the same controversial design remains (see the video below). There are new features available, though. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are still standard, but now they're wireless. A head-up display is available as an option for SLT and AT4, while it comes standard on the Denali. The Denali also gets an 8-inch screen in the instrument panel. Only the turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder and nine-speed automatic have been announced for the Terrain. It makes the same 170 horsepower and 203 pound-feet of torque as before and can be paired with either front- or all-wheel drive. We're expecting a higher-horsepower, larger-displacement engine to be offered in the near future. The SLE, SLT and AT4 models will go on sale this summer. The Denali will follow in the fall. Pricing and additional details should be revealed in the coming months. Related Video:

Despite strong profits, GM still fighting flat market share

Looking at the progress General Motors has made since it entered bankruptcy, it's easy to forget that the company still has a long way to go before it's the juggernaut it once was. A recent report from Reuters points out that, while GM is making money, it isn't making any gains in terms of US market share. Quite the opposite, really. Consider this factoid: In 1963, nearly half of the cars sold in the United States were from Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, GMC or Pontiac. Now, the company's US market share is stagnant at 17.9 percent. That same number is half of just Chevy's 1963 market share. This is all despite GM going on a binge replacing or updating its models. "Market share increases are not instantaneous," Mark Reuss told Reuters at the 2014 Detroit Auto Show. "We've got a lot of baggage. Don't underestimate what people though of us, or these brands, through these hardships and 30 years." The reasons for the stagnant market share are numerous. Reuters points out that retooling of factories and a focus on limiting incentives are both good things for profit, but not necessarily for market share. There's also the troubling turnover of the brand's marketing department. These issues don't change the fact that Chevrolet has lost 1.4 percent of its market share in two years, and that Cadillac - arguably GM's most improved brand overall - has lost 1.2 percent in the same period. Part of that can be blamed on GM's avoidance of fleet sales in favor of more profitable customer sales. "Our focus has really been on retail and that's where we've got the growth," said Alan Batey, GM's interim global marketing boss. "We want to grow GM and that means growing market share and profits, but it's not at all costs," Reuss said. News Source: ReutersImage Credit: paul bica - Flickr CC 2.0 Earnings/Financials Buick Cadillac GM GMC sales profits