With the end of the month fast approaching, the GM 72-Hour Sale will soon see its final hour, but don’t trip over that pile of shoes by the door getting to the garage.  What it should be called is the GM Fire Sale on Cars You Don’t Want or the GM Is Really Sorry We Don’t Provide Better Solutions For Your Driving Needs, Will You Settle For No Interest? Sale or simply, the GM Has a Supply and Demand Problem Sale.

My enthusiast side is always looking to buy an exciting new car.  When I first heard of the sale I did some quick research on the off chance I was genuinely being marketed to.

Here is the list of cars the sale does NOT apply to:

2008 Chevy Aveo, Malibu, Cobalt, Corvette and Express Van; 2008 Pontiac G5, G8, Vibe; 2008 GMC Acadia, Savanna; 2008 Buick Enclave; 2008 Saturn Astra, Outlook; 2008 Cadillac XLR, CTS; 2008 Saab 9-3 (except 9-3 convertible), 9-5; All 2008 Hybrid Vehicles.

Of the 52 vehicles GM does include in the sale, 35 are trucks, SUVs, crossovers and vans.  The rest are mostly victims of poor marketing research or brand ambiguity.  Those savvy marketers are not tricking anyone by loading the flash browser with the Pontiac G6 up front and putting all of the non-gas-guzzlers to its right, presumably the direction most of us will scroll first.  We see that Hummer and those Yukons in the background.

When inventory isn’t moving, it is always a good idea to provide extra consumer incentives.  But you can’t fit very many Suburbans on a clearance rack and General Motors isn’t Macy’s.  The most successful automotive brands are transparent and holistic.  By not including the models that consumers might actually want to buy in the sale, GM is taking what little brand equity it has left and tabling it.  As it currently stands, a quick browse through the 52 cars leads to one conclusion: GM does not make anything worth buying.  It might hurt their profit margin to include the Cadillac CTS or one of their hybrid vehicles, but General Motors would more than make up the difference by reminding consumers they are still in the game.  Right now GM is spending advertising dollars to spotlight the worst parts of their fleet.  0% APR on a Malibu might not help sell more trucks, but it could help keep one of GMs brands alive. Sometimes you have to put your best foot forward in order to drag your limping one along behind.

*As I was writing this entry GM removed the Saab Turbo X Sedan and SportCombi.  Bringing the count down to 50 vehicles and excising two of the strongest cars previously on the list.