GM ushers in misnamed "72-Hour Sale" with 0% financing on many Pontiacs, Chevys, GMCs

General Motors needs to move Pontiacs and pickup trucks, and the bankrupt automaker is once again breaking out some serious incentives to alleviate dealer stocks. The General is offering 0% financing for 72 months for the Vibe, G3, G5, G6 and G8, giving prospective car buyers the chance to get into one of the last Pontiacs ever made. The "72 Hour Sale" oddly begins today and runs through Monday, July 6, which is more than 72 hours – even when excluding the 4th of July weekend.

GM is also using the sales event to move some of its slower-selling vehicles. The Chevrolet Impala, Silverado and Tahoe, as well as the GMC Sierra and Yukon will also have 72 month, 0% financing. Other vehicles will have 0% financing for 60 months, but they won't be part of the special 72 hour sale.

While we're not planning to run out to the local Pontiac store for a new G3, if you would have told us a year ago that we could get a 361 hp G8 GT for about $400 a month, we'd be pretty stoked. Hit the jump to scan the GM press release.

[Source: General Motors]

PRESS RELEASE:

Buy and Say Goodbye: July Offers Make Getting a New GM Vehicle More Affordable

• Buy: 72-Hour sale offers new 0 percent reduced-rate financing for up to 72 months to well-qualified buyers on select GM vehicles

• Say Goodbye: GM will have twice as many qualifying vehicles under the Federal "Cash for Clunkers" program, once it is finalized, than any other manufacturer

DETROIT – General Motors made two announcements today that will help make buying a new GM vehicle even more affordable this summer. Here are the details:

• GM is announcing its "72-Hour Sale," running from July 1 to July 6, 2009, where low-rate financing of 0 percent for up to 72 months will be offered to well-qualified buyers on select 2009 and 2010 vehicles in dealer stock including Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra regular, extended and crew cab light-duty pickups; Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon XL SUVs; Chevrolet Impala; and the Pontiac models: Vibe, G3, G5, G6 and G8. Although not part of the 72-Hour Sale, many other vehicles will have reduced rate financing of 0 percent for up to 60 months for well-qualified buyers. A full list of current offers, conditions, and eligible vehicles, is available at: http://www.gm.com/shop/currentoffers/

• GM has 74 different models -- twice as many as any other auto manufacturer -- that may qualify under the new Federal CARS (Car Allowance Rebate System) "Cash for Clunkers" program. Customers with older vehicles will soon have a new reason to trade in their "clunker" -- vouchers worth from $3,500 to $4,500 cash from the CARS program. CARS provides incentives for consumers to bring in their out-of-date vehicle to scrap and trade-in on a new, more fuel-efficient model. Once the program begins later this month, all a customer needs to do is bring in a qualifying vehicle for scrap, and trade it in on an eligible new GM model, that offers a significant improvement in fuel economy, and the dealer does the rest. A list of the GM models that may qualify, depending on the EPA estimated combined fuel economy of the vehicle they are trading in, as well as its age and condition, is shown below. Customers should visit the official NHTSA site: http://www.cars.gov, or their local GM dealer for more information.

(GM's Proposed Eligible Vehicles List under the 'Cash for Clunkers' CARS program. Subheadings with numbers i.e. '22 and above' refer to EPA estimated combinedfuel economy ratings. Please note that whether a transaction qualifies for an incentive under CARS depends, among other things, on (1) the type of vehicle the customer is trading in, and (2) the increase in EPA estimated combined fuel economy ratings resulting from the purchase of the new vehicle.)