GM considering making fewer safety features standard

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Posted 4:36PM on Tuesday, April 9, 2002

TROY, Mich. - General Motors Corp. is considering offering safety features such as antilock braking systems as standard equipment on fewer vehicles, one of the automaker's top safety executives said. No final decision has been made, but the change is being considered as part of GM's efforts to cut costs, Robert Lange, GM's executive director for structure and safety integration, said late Monday in a meeting with reporters. GM North America chairman Robert Lutz has said he wants to cut costs at the world's largest automaker, in part, by not equipping vehicles with features customers are not necessarily willing to pay for. The antilock braking systems, or ABS, are included as standard equipment on most of GM's vehicle lineup except the Chevrolet Cavalier, Pontiac Sunfire and Saturn vehicles. "It sounds like a bad deal for the consumer," said Clarence Ditlow, who heads the Center for Auto Safety. "It's in the best interest of the consumer to have these features as standard equipment." Ditlow said that not only should features such as ABS be included as standard equipment for safety reasons, but consumers would end up paying more for the devices as optional equipment than they would if they were embedded in the sticker price. ABS costs the automaker about $160 per vehicle, Lange said. Side air bags cost about $60 per vehicle and stability control systems about $600. "It's mostly safety content where we can't manage the cost. We might selectively make the equipment optional," Lange said. "We need to share the pain." Lange is adamant the move would not pose any greater risk to occupants of vehicles whose owners decide not to pay for ABS or side air bags. GM equips its vehicles with 100 to 120 safety devices at no extra cost, he said. "We submit that a standard car or truck is safe," Lange said. "We will never charge for dual-stage air bags. We will never charge for seat belt pretensioners. It's not going to happen." About $250 in "safety pricing" has been added to the cost of GM vehicles, mostly on ABS and adjustable seat belt systems, Lange said. "We have to find a balance between how much content is affordable to consumers and above that, how much they will pay," he said. GM safety, technical and design personnel began studying that last year. Another solution being considered is bundling safety features into packages of options, similar to the way other features such as upgraded sound systems, trim levels and seating are sold, Lange said. Other automakers also offer ABS and other advanced safety features as an option on some vehicles and include them as standard equipment on others.