The Price Is Right: GM Axes Cost of Numerous SUVs

Matthew Guy
by Matthew Guy

Generally when we write about sticker prices for the upcoming model year, it’s to document a price hike – sometimes minor, sometimes major. Rarely does a manufacturer cut prices, especially in a hot segment.

However, it appears that’s exactly what The General is doing across three of its brands. A few machines take a haircut and give up some standard equipment, while others will simply have a Monroney bearing a smaller number next year.

According to CarsDirect, who dug into GM’s 2019 order guides, mid-level trims of various crossovers and SUVs are being repositioned a bit. For example, the 2019 Equinox 3LT, a trim which sits roughly in the middle of that model’s byzantine range, will now command $30,495 of the finest American dollars. That is $1,200 cheaper than last year.

However, the Driver Confidence Package – a feature that includes blind-spot and lane-departure warning systems, parking sensors, and a few other items – that was standard equipment has vanished. In its place, customers can pony up $1,545 for a Confidence & Convenience Package, an option that includes the aforementioned items plus dual-zone climate control, remote start, and heated seats.

The names of these option packages make me chuckle. It is this author’s opinion that any machine costing north of $30,000 should already include a great amount of convenience. As for the confidence, well, you’re on your own there.

Also, safety nannies like forward collision warnings were standard on all-wheel drive Equinox machines (Equinoxes? Equini?) whether customers wanted them or not. Now, they’re optional. This change shaves just under $2,000 off the price.

Its big brother, the Traverse LT (with leather) bins its standard 20-inch wheels and Bose sound system, cutting the price to $39,995. This will allow GM to advertise the thing as “starting under $40,000. Adding them back in jacks the sticker to $43,090. Last year’s truck included that equipment and was priced at $42,695.

Over on the Buick side of the showroom, the Encore’s top-rung Premium trim is AWOL, bringing the price of the most costly Encore down to $31,795 from $33,095. I will now pause to collect myself after realizing one can spec an Encore to that level of financial imprudence. Optional gear previously reserved for the Premium is now available on the Essence.

The Enclave drops its sticker price by a not-insignificant $2,300, down to $42,995. This is surely a play to add value and boost its market share, as the machine’s equipment levels remain the same.

Mid-level SLT trims at GMC are dropping by $500 on the Terrain and Acadia. On Terrain, that reduces the walk from a base model to just $2,800. If more people step up to the SLT from SLE, this may turn into a situation where a price cut actually encouraged people to spend more. By dropping the SLT’s price, it is possible that a few extra shoppers will pop for the snazzier trim. GMC also seems to be bundling adaptive cruise with their driver assistance tech package, adding value to that option and making it a better buy.

One thing left unmentioned (and that savvy shoppers should watch out for) is an increase in destination fees. Tacking on an extra two or three hundred dollars to that line of the sticker is a common way to increase transaction prices.

[Images: General Motors]

Matthew Guy
Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

More by Matthew Guy

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 32 comments
  • Thejohnnycanuck Thejohnnycanuck on Jun 22, 2018

    "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance then baffle them with bullshit." Not sure who first came up with that but I'll bet you dollars to lug nuts it was a GM employee.

  • Jpolicke Jpolicke on Jun 23, 2018

    Bad move by GM. Instead of building value the way Nissan did with the Kicks'including the safety features even in the base models, GM pulls them out and then gouges you to put them back in. This should help GM fall to the back when safety ratings rank carmakers on equipment when theirs is "Available" and the competition's is "Standard". Throwing out a lowball sticker price on a base model isn't going to fool many people. For me the "base price" is the price for the least expensive model that has my must-have features. If I have to go up 3 trim levels to get heated seats, which I demand, then that's the base price of your vehicle to me.

  • MaintenanceCosts People who don't use the parking brake when they walk away from the car deserve to have the car roll into a river.
  • 3-On-The-Tree I’m sure they are good vehicles but you can’t base that on who is buying them. Land Rovers, Bentley’ are bought by Robin Leaches’s “The Rich and Famous” but they have terrible reliability.
  • SCE to AUX The fix sounds like a bandaid. Kia's not going to address the defective shaft assemblies because it's hard and expensive - not cool.
  • Analoggrotto I am sick and tired of every little Hyundai Kia Genesis flaw being blown out of proportion. Why doesn't TTAC talk about the Tundra iForce Max problems, Toyota V35A engine problems or the Lexus 500H Hybrid problems? Here's why: education. Most of America is illiterate, as are the people who bash Hyundai Kia Genesis. Surveys conducted by credible sources have observed a high concentration of Hyundai Kia Genesis models at elite ivy league universities, you know those places where students earn degrees which earn more than $100K per year? Get with the program TTAC.
  • Analoggrotto NoooooooO!
Next