A message from the President of Bradshaw Automotive, William Bradshaw

As all of you are aware, GM filed for Bankruptcy protection on June 1, 2009 and is going through a major reorganization. The bankruptcy process is moving very rapidly and could be completed as early as mid-July.

Thankfully, GM is continuing to operate in a normal manner, reimbursing dealers for incentives and warranty repairs, and is continuing to operate its manufacturing facilities. When the bankruptcy is completed, the new GM will be a leaner, more efficient, and more focused company.

Part of that new leaner operation includes a reduction in the number of GM Dealers and I’m happy to report that we were advised during the week of June 1, 2009, that we will remain a GM Dealership in Greer, representing Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, and GMC product lines. Unfortunately, as was announced in April of this year, the Pontiac Brand will be discontinued at the end of the 2010 production cycle.

While we have only been associated with Pontiac since 2006, that Brand has a long and colorful history in the automobile industry.

The Pontiac Spring and Wagon Works (Pontiac, Michigan) was incorporated in 1899 and by 1907 was producing a Pontiac automobile. In 1908 that company merged with the Oakland Motor Car
Company (Oakland County, Michigan) to produce the Cartercar automobile and in 1909 the merged company was purchased by General Motors. That GM Division produced Oakland automobiles and in 1926 a companion car (Pontiac) was introduced to fill the gap between Chevrolet and Oakland. Four GM Divisions introduced companion cars to fill the voids between their products—Oakland spawned Pontiac, Oldsmobile introduced Viking, Buick introduced Marquette, and Cadillac announced LaSalle.

Within months, Pontiac was outselling Oakland and Pontiac became the best selling 6-cylinder automobile in the United States in 1927, and 7th in overall sales. The Oakland nameplate was discontinued in 1932 and Pontiac went on to become the only companion car to outlive is parent product. We regret that our association with Pontiac was so short lived but look forward to providing excellent service to all of the many Pontiac Owners in our area.

Additionally last week, General Motors announced an impending sale of the Saturn Brand to Penske Automotive with the intention of continuing to provide some of the current Saturn products through their product life-cycle.

Pending finalization of that sale, we look forward to a long and profitable relationship with the Penske Automotive Group. It is anticipated that Penske Automotive will contract with other auto manufacturers to supply future products to be marketed under the Saturn Brand, providing all Saturn Retailers with a complete product portfolio.

I just wanted to update each of you as to our position with General Motors and assure you that our intention is to remain a contributing factor in our marketplaces. Thank you for your continued focus on providing the exceptional sales and service experience that makes us a leader in our industry. Each of you remains a vital part of the Bradshaw team.

William Bradshaw