Drive time: School to let dealers learn more

Car dealers are optimistic about Cobalt sales.
By DON SHILLING
VINDICATOR BUSINESS EDITOR
Cobalt school will be held this week for car dealers.
General Motors is inviting sales representatives to Akron on Thursday and Friday to learn about the new Chevrolet car and to drive it.
Greg Greenwood, owner of Greenwood Chevrolet in Austintown, said his sales force has been reading product information about the Cobalt but nothing beats actually driving the car. Having Chevrolet officials explain the car's features also will help, he said.
He said GM normally has such sessions for new models. Another new model, the Chevrolet Uplander, also will be at this week's event.
Dealers don't yet know when they will receive Cobalts.
They also haven't received specifics on lease programs or rebates, but they are confident the car will sell well.
Greenwood figures his dealership has the potential to sell 50 to 60 Cobalts a month. He said it sells about the same number of Cavaliers, though there have been a few years where Cavalier sales averaged about 80.
Greenwood said he drove a Cobalt recently and was most impressed by its quiet ride. He also liked the look of the interior and the tight gaps between the metal parts.
One opinion on pricing
Terry Poulton, general manager of Stadium GM Superstore in Salem, said he thinks Chevrolet has done a good job of pricing the car, considering the quality that it has.
The base model starts at $14,190.
The Cobalt will cost a little more than the model it's replacing, the Cavalier, but it must be compared with other cars that are being marketed as premium small cars, he said.
"They've hit a market that they will do well in," Poulton said.
For many people, sticker prices aren't as important as the bottom line in a lease deal, he said.
In that area, GM has been tough to beat because it has been allowing people with three-year leases to trade in their cars for another GM model after 28 months, he said. That has allowed people to receive a three-year payment without having to keep the car that long, though there is no guarantee GM will continue the program, he said.
Diane Sauer, owner of Diane Sauer Chevrolet in Warren, said she doesn't expect large incentives on the Cobalt.
"When the product's right, incentives aren't necessary," she said.
She said she expects the Cobalt to not only replace Cavalier sales but to attract people who would buy other models.
That will be especially true in this area, she said.
"There's a lot of loyalty to products that are produced locally," she said.
shilling@vindy.com