LAS VEGAS -- More than 33,000 factory workers at General Motors and former subsidiary Delphi Corp. have accepted buyout offers, exceeding early expectations, the United Auto Workers union said.

At a news conference on Thursday, June 15, to mark the end of a four-day union conference, UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said 25,000 GM and 8,500 Delphi workers had taken the early retirement incentives.

"I think it's going pretty well," Gettelfinger said. "I think it's a little better than we initially expected."

The number of blue-collar workers who accept the early retirement incentives has been closely watched as an indicator of the success of GM's turnaround efforts.

GM has offered a sweeping package of buyouts ranging from $70,000 to $140,000 to more than 125,000 unionized factory workers in a bid to reduce costly benefits for an aging work force.

The offer is on the table for consideration by workers until next week.

GM has not offered an official update of the number of its workers who have taken the offer, but company and union officials said in late May that the total had topped 20,000 then and was expected to reach 30,000 by the deadline.

Representatives of GM and Delphi were not immediately available for comment.

Reacting to a continued slide in its share of the U.S. market, GM has announced plans to shut 12 plants and cut some 30,000 jobs.

Gettelfinger, re-elected to a second four-year term this week as head of the UAW, said it was "critical" to resolve an impasse with Delphi over the efforts by the parts supplier to emerge from bankruptcy with a sharply reduced payroll.

But Gettelfinger declined to comment on expectations that the union was getting closer to a negotiated settlement with Delphi that would avoid a potentially devastating work stoppage for GM, the parts supplier's largest customer.

"I wouldn't make that statement," he said. "And I would have no further comment."

UAW READIES FOR CONTRACT TALKS

In the mostly closely watched decision of the UAW convention, Gettelfinger said he had appointed veteran union leader Cal Rapson to head negotiations with GM and Delphi heading into a crucial round of contract talks next year with all of the U.S. automakers.

Rapson has long experience with GM, going back to his hiring at a Chevrolet engine plant in 1965. He was involved in 1990 and 1993 contract talks with GM as an administrative aide.

Bob King, the UAW's most senior vice president, was given responsibility for negotiating with Ford Motor Co. as well as industrial parts suppliers.

General Holiefield, elected to his first four-year term as vice president, was given responsibility for talks with the Chrysler group.

Gettelfinger, 61, ran unopposed for reelection to a second term. His appointment of the three liaisons for the Detroit-based auto makers represented his first opportunity to put his stamp on the union's leadership team.

Under Gettelfinger, the UAW has shown a willingness to negotiate cost-cutting deals on health care U.S. auto executives have said were needed to stave off deeper financial problems.

GM and Ford have already clinched such deals. Chrysler is in talks with the union on similar concessions.

Gettelfinger also said the union's priority was to throw its weight behind Democratic candidates in November's Congressional elections and to focus on organizing efforts, a responsibility given to UAW Vice President Terry Thurman.

Earlier this week the union approved a shift of $60 million from its strike fund to help pay for organizing efforts.

"One of our priorities is going to be political because we recognize that our country does not have an industrial policy and that makes it very hard for the middle class," Gettelfinger told reporters.

Membership in the UAW has fallen below 600,000, its lowest level since the 1940s and down from a peak of some 1.5 million in 1979.

DETROIT -- Delphi Corp. said today that 6,300 hourly employees represented by the IUE-CWA union, or 83 percent of those eligible, have agreed to early retirement or a buyout.

The attrition program, financed predominantly by General Motors, continues to relieve pressure for a strike at Delphi.

Earlier this summer, the UAW said nearly 13,000 of its Delphi members had taken a buyout or early retirement, with an additional 5,000 expected to transfer eventually to GM.

Delphi is restructuring its U.S. operations under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The company, spun off by GM in 1999, has asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York to end its labor agreements with about 33,000 union workers because those workers' pay is about twice what Delphi's U.S. competitors pay.

On Thursday, Aug. 17, a hearing on the petition was delayed until Sept. 18 as Delphi, GM and the unions try to negotiate new agreements.

The UAW and IUE-CWA have promised to strike Delphi if the court terminates the contracts. The IUE-CWA is the International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Salaried, Machine and Furniture Workers-Communications Workers of America.

A strike at Delphi, which supplies GM with about $14 billion in parts annually, would quickly shut down the automaker.

But the impetus for a strike is evaporating. Only about 9,000 union workers who started working at Delphi before the company filed for Chapter 11 protection Oct. 8 will be left at the company a year from now.

That is about the number the supplier will need to operate the eight plants it intends to keep open in the United States as part of its plan to emerge from bankruptcy in 2007.

Delphi plans to close or sell 21 U.S. plants and produce most of its parts outside the United States.

Delphi, of Troy, Mich., ranks No. 4 on the Automotive News list of the top 100 global suppliers, with estimated original-equipment automotive parts sales of $22.58 billion in 2005.

DETROIT (AP) -- General Motors Corp. announced Tuesday that it will offer $500 to $1,500 in bonus cash on many of its 2006 and 2007 models.
The offer is good until Sept. 5, and in most cases, comes in addition to previously announced low-interest loan and customer cash offers.

The cash offer does not apply to GM's-hotter selling models, including the Pontiac Solstice; Saturn Sky, Aura and VUE Green Line; Chevrolet Corvette; the 2007 GMC Yukon/Yukon XL Denali; Hummer H1; and 2007 Cadillac Escalade.

The company is offering $500 in bonus cash on many of its cars, $1,000 on many of its pickups and car-based sport utility vehicles, and $1,500 on some of its truck-based SUVs.

Company spokesman John McDonald said the incentives are merely the company's annual Labor Day sale and not a sign that it is backing away from its strategy of trying to bring sale prices closer to the sticker prices.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- General Motors Corp., struggling to stop its continued market share losses and close the perception of worse quality with import brands, plans to announce an "industry leading" warranty offer Wednesday, according to someone familiar with company plans.

The company has announced that Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner will announce "a major consumer initiative" at 1 p.m. ET Wednesday.

The company has suffered with customer perception of producing lesser quality cars than many import brands, particularly from Japan, even as some measures have shown that the quality gap has been closing faster than perceptions.

The latest J.D. Power Dependability study, which surveyed 48,000 owners of 2003 model-year vehicles to see how the cars fared three years after purchase put two GM brands, Buick and Cadillac, No. 3 and 4, respectively, in quality, ahead of brands such as Toyota, Honda and BMW. Lexus, the luxury brand of Toyota Motor, finished No. 1.

The lower perceived quality has caused GM to offer larger cash-back offers or other costly incentives to hang onto declining market share. But offering a longer warranty will also cost the company money as it struggles to trim losses from its core North American auto operations.

GM currently offers a 36-month, 36,000 mile warranty on most of its vehicles. Some Korean automakers such as Hyundai, which has also faced consumer perception problems, offers a 5-year, 60,000 warranty on just about all parts of its vehicles, along with a 10-year, 100,000 mile warranty on its powertrain.

DETROIT -- General Motors will extend vehicle warranties across all of its brands.

The new marketing move is expected win over consumers who have migrated to brands such as Hyundai and Kia, which offer 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranties.

GM executives consulted with auto dealers on the issue and are expected to announce this afternoon that starting today, GM products will come with longer warranties.

Some GM products will have a 5-year/100,000-mile warranty, while others will carry as long as a 10-year/100,000-mile warranty, a GM dealer familiar with the plan said today.

GM CEO Rick Wagoner is scheduled to announce a "major customer initiative" at press conference here at 1 p.m. today.

"You'll see a base-line long-term warranty," the dealer said. "And for the wearing-out parts, a more conventional warranty."

The dealer said GM also will stick to its competitive pricing plan of lower sticker prices that are closer to the transaction price. But the dealer does not see GM cutting incentives by much.

"I don't see the warranties and incentives going hand-in-hand," the dealer said. "GM will still use incentives wherever it's strategically appropriate."

GM discussed the idea with dealers for nearly a year. GM and its dealer councils favored the change to reflect their confidence in the quality of GM's products. Because of improved quality, "it's not a big risk or as expensive as" people might perceive it to be, the dealer said.

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM - news) on Wednesday said it would offer a powertrain warranty of up to 100,000 miles or five years on all of its 2007 models, including those that have already been sold.

GM executives said they expected that the expanded warranty program would help the No. 1 automaker win sales against rival brands that have benefited from a better reputation for quality.

"This is a turbo-charger for closing the perception gap," GM's North American sales chief Mark LaNeve told reporters.

LaNeve said the new warranty offer would raise average sales prices for GM cars and trucks and help support the automaker's dealer network.

DETROIT -- General Motors is increasing the powertrain warranty on all its 2007 model vehicles sold in the United States and Canada to 5 years or 100,000 miles, the automaker said today.

The powertrain warranty is transferable, without a fee, and has no deductible, GM said. Previously, GM's powertrain warranty typically was for three years or 36,000 miles.

GM said the new warranty terms would apply to 2007 models already sold. The automaker is also extending the terms of its roadside assistance and courtesy transportation programs along with the new warranty coverage.

"This isn’t going to be cheap, but we think it’s going to be more effective for where we are today," GM CEO Rick Wagoner said at a press conference. "We think it’s manageable within the cost conditions we’ve laid out."

Wagoner said such a move is possible by the quality gains GM has made over the past several years.

"It was a lot more costly five years ago than it is today, particularly in the powertrain area," Wagoner said. "Over the past seven or eight years we’ve communized on powertrains, we’ve really had a chance to move the needle up on our quality and performance."

GM set up a web site -- www.gm.com/warranty -- with details of the program. Among the changes, the new warranty eliminates the $100 deductible on repairs for trucks equipped with the DuraMax diesel engine.

The move is a bid by GM to counter successful marketing of long-term warranties by competitors such as Hyundai and Kia.

In July, rival Ford Motor Co. increased the powertrain warranty on Ford, Mercury and Lincoln vehicles for 2007 models. The warranty is five years or 60,000 miles for Ford and Mercury vehicles, and six years or 70,000 miles for Lincoln vehicles.

"What we’ve found is that two-thirds of customers trade or dispose of the vehicle before five years and 100,000 miles," said Mark LaNeve, GM's vice president of vehicle sales, service and marketing. "This really matches the way customers buy cars."

GM will tout the new warranty coverage in an ad campaign that begins on Thursday, Sept. 7.

GM North America’s vice president of marketing and advertising

“It is our goal that every consumer in America would know there is something different happening at GM and that there is a new level of confidence in our vehicles,” said Michael Jackson, GM North America's vice president of marketing and advertising.

Warranty alone is not a reason for purchase consideration, Jackson said. But consumers do pay attention to cost of vehicle ownership and warranty is part of that.

“It is not just about fuel economy, warranty or monthly payment but about, ‘What will this vehicle cost me?’” Jackson said. “Cost of ownership is on the top of consumers’ minds, especially in markets such as Los Angeles and New York.”

Mary Connell contributed to this report