(July 15, 2011) DETROIT – General Motors says the overall residual value of GMC vehicles — what a vehicle is worth after three years on the road — is outpacing the competition and reducing the total cost of ownership for GMC customers.

According to General Motors’ Residual Value Management’s performance report based on ALG’s 36-month data for July/August, the forecasted depreciation for GMC vehicles is lower than its competitors and lower than the same time a year ago.

“Resale value is one of the most important considerations among today’s knowledgeable car buyers as it can literally save consumers thousands of dollars over the life of the vehicle,” said Brian Sweeney, U.S. vice president of Buick GMC Sales and Service. “GMC’s Professional Grade vehicles continue to deliver great value for our customers.”

GMC’s 2011 model year residual values beat its competitive set by 0.6 points and improved by 0.5 points over the brand’s 2010 average. The improvement is due in part to a strong performance by GMC’s smaller SUV and crossover models, Terrain and Acadia.

Acadia earned a 3.2-point improvement compared to the average of its competitors, including Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot and Ford Flex. Terrain earned a 1.2-point lead over the average residuals for its competitive set, including Nissan Murano, Hyundai Santa Fe and Ford Edge.

GMC’s improved residual value performance has been acknowledged externally as well. Kelley Blue Book named the Acadia the best resale value in the full-size utility vehicle category for 2011.

In addition, GMC earned the top truck brand honor in Vincentric's seventh annual “Best Value in America” awards, based on calculations of total cost of ownership relative to price within industry segments. Vincentric also recognized Sierra 2500HD as the top heavy duty three-quarter-ton pickup, beating such models as Ford Super Duty F-250 and Dodge Ram 2500.

In February, Yukon earned IntelliChoice’s “best value” pick among full-size SUVs, based on its analysis of ownership costs, including depreciation, maintenance, repairs, fuel, fees, financing and insurance.