Barra says GM dealers have been phenomenal during recall

Barra says GM dealers have been •phenomenalê during recall

General Motors CEO Mary Barra told NADA-TV during the recent NADA/J.D. Power Automotive Forum in New York that GM dealers have been –phenomenal” in their handling of the recall of 2.6 million small cars.

–Theyêve gone above and beyond to make sure they answer (customer) questions,” Barra said. –I canêt ask for more support and just great service than the dealers have been providing.”

Dealers are well positioned to sell and deal with the recall, she said. –They understand the community, they have relationships with customers there and have relationships with people in the community at large, she said.

–They know our product. Theyêre really dedicated to understanding the technology of our product.”

Barraês final message to dealers: –I want to say thank you for a great partnership.”

She told the Detroit Free Press that GM is proceeding with the recall repairs as quickly as possible. –Parts are arriving at dealerships, where trained technicians are working and weêre repairing cars.”

GM won a victory when a federal judge in Texas ruled that the automaker should not be forced to park its recalled cars, despite calls by some members of Congress to do so.

Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas lowered his earnings estimate on GM stock from $49 to $33. Some analysts project the recall will cost GM $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion. Looking at the broader picture, Jonas said the coming period of technological change for the auto industry, with an expected increase in electronic and autonomous vehicles, will disadvantage traditional companies such as GM. Startups like Tesla, he said, may be better able to attract innovative engineers who can deal with the changes.