Gm Plans To Expand ‘Value Price’ Program

General Motors Corp. said it was expanding its “value pricing” program to Washington, Oregon and Idaho in an effort to boost sales and simplify vehicle shopping.

Under the plan, GM sells cars and trucks equipped with popular options at special low prices that discourage haggling. The program was introduced in 1993 in California, where GM said it helped the company increase sales and overtake Ford Motor Co. as the state’s largest vehicle seller.

Some dealers say the program cuts profits, but the nation’s No. 1 automaker said value pricing is an important part of its efforts to improve the buying experience for customers.

The expansion will cover 82 of GM’s 1997 model cars and trucks - an estimated 77 percent of its retail sales - at 282 dealerships in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.