• January 14, 2003

When GM starts rolling the 2004 cars off the assembly line, 44 of its 57 models will be capable of being equipped with an XM receiver. That is up from 25 models this year, and just two Cadillac models in 2002. Although the move is obviously welcome news for XM, General Motors has its own interests at heart. GM, which owns a 19.5% stake in XM, hopes by offering consumers high-tech gadgets like satellite radio and OnStar that will win a greater share of car buyers. “GM new vehicle buyer reaction to XM has been overwhelmingly positive,” says GM VP John Smith. He says their internal research among GM car owners with an XM radio revealed that over 90% would look for XM capability when the time came for them to trade their car in and buy a new one. GM plans to sell as many as 400,000 XM-ready cars this year, and it expects to offer XM on virtually all of its models by 2005.