UPDATE: With the help of citizen investigators who have been tracking local reports, we've managed to find 10 of the lucky 41 GM dealerships that were led down executioner's row only to be saved at the last minute. The map below highlights the reprieves in yellow, which lay among a sea of GM closures in blue (the map only fits 100 locations, but rest can be seen here).
Michigan, hit hardest by the GM collapse, receive two reprieves for local dealers--one in Grand Rapids and the other in Saginaw, not far from the home of GM, Flint.
Thanks to everyone who helped, especially Chris Olzinger, who has been relentless.
First GM announced it would close 1,100 dealerships; then, while filing bankruptcy last week, it nearly doubled the severity of its cuts by raising the amount to 2,100. Now a lucky few, 41 to be exact, have been saved from the junkyard.
The Detroit News reported that GM has been under pressure from members of Congress, including House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), to keep dealerships open. The House is considering a bill that would cushion the economic fallout of these sweeping changes. The Detroit News reports:
The bill, called the Automobile Dealer Economic Rights Restoration Act of 2009, would restore the economic rights of automobile dealers to protect jobs, workers and small-business owners. It has 40 House co-sponsors, including Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Livonia.
A spokeswoman from GM said the reprieves already granted were not a response to pressure from Congress, but "a result of the process we had in place."
The Huffington Post has asked readers to help us track the GM dealerships, 2,059 now, that have been asked to close. Thank you to the hundreds who sent in tips that helped us create the interactive map below. The blue balloons represent dealerships that will be closing and the yellow represent those that received a reprieve.
Do you know any of the 41 dealerships that have earned a reprieve? If so, send an email to submissions+gm@huffingtonpost.com. Include a link to an article that has already named the dealership as one of the lucky 41 or provide the contact information for the dealer's manager. The dealerships will be placed on our map in yellow:
View GM Dealerships Asked to Close (Confirmed) and repreives: in a larger map
And as always, send us word of dealerships that will be closing that are not already on our list.
Here is the list of saved dealerships that have been reported (thanks to Chris Olzinger for finding the first five!):
- Walser Buick Pontiac GMC, Bloomington, MN
- Fox Pontiac Buick GMC, Grand Rapids, MI
- Mike Wilson Chevrolet, Winchester, KY
- Harris Buick Pontiac GMC, Whittier, CA
- Family Auto Center, Toledo, IA
- Wells River Chevrolet, Wells River, VT
- Garber Buick, Saginaw, MI
- Springhill Motor Company, LA
- Cupp Chevrolet, Marceline, MO
- Tri-County GM, La Junta, CO
- Horter Chevrolet, Mukwonago, WI
- Riley Cadillac, Jefferson City, MO