Chevy launches year-end employee pricing campaign

Chevrolet has launched a national employee pricing sales campaign on all 2018 and some 2019 models through the end of the year.

Such programs, when automakers offer employee discounts to the general public, are typically effective in increasing short-term sales and clearing out older inventories. However, they have also been criticized for cutting into profit margins and pulling sales forward from months ahead.

The Chevrolet-exclusive "Employee Discount for Everyone" includes the lease or purchase of all 2018 models and 2019 Equinox, Traverse, Colorado and outgoing Silverado 1500 Limited models. The deal runs through Jan. 2.

The campaign is modeled on a program from a year ago that was "very successful in driving sales and also strengthening the brand and connecting with customers," said Jim Cain, a GM spokesman.

Last year's promotion, he said, led to "a fantastic December and robust January." Chevy, following an industry sales record in 2016, reported a year-over-year decrease of 2.9 percent in December 2017, followed by a 5 percent increase in January and an 8.8 percent decrease in February.

Chevrolet is advertising $12,500 off a 2018 Silverado LT All-Star crew cab. That includes an employee discount of $5,000, cash allowance of $6,750 and $750 option package discount when financed through GM Financial.

Many of GM's cars are discounted between nearly $4,000 for a Spark minicar to more than $8,000 for an Impala sedan.

Crossover and SUV discounts range from about $4,400 for a Traverse to more than $11,100 for Tahoe and Suburban SUVs.

Employee pricing is for everyone, regardless of how the vehicle is financed; however, other offers require that customers finance through GM Financial.

Autodata Corp. reports that Chevrolet's average incentive spend through November was $4,723 per vehicle, up 5.5 percent compared to the same period a year ago.