GM to Charge for Antilock Brakes

DETROIT APreported that starting with the 2003 model year, General Motors Corp. customers will have to pay extra if they want antilock braking systems and side impact air bags on most models.

Option prices for ABS and side impact air bags have not yet been set, GM spokesman Jay Cooney said Wednesday.

ABS costs the automaker about $160 per vehicle, while side air bags cost about $60 per vehicle, and stability control systems about $600.

ABS currently is standard equipment on 52 of GM's 58 models and side impact air bags are standard on 31. ABS will remain standard on the Pontiac Bonneville, Buick LeSabre, Chevrolet Corvette.

Both ABS and side air bags will remain standard on all Cadillac and Saab models, Cooney said.

GM safety chief Bob Lange said the move will not pose any greater risk to occupants of vehicles whose owners decide not to pay for ABS or side air bags. GM equips its vehicles with 100 to 120 safety devices at no extra cost, he said.

About $250 in "safety pricing" has been added to the cost of GM vehicles, mostly on ABS and adjustable seat belt systems over the past three years, Lange said. The automaker cannot continue to absorb all the cost.

The world's largest automaker is planning to trim other features customers are not necessarily willing to pay for, including embroidered floor mats and the extra power outlet on the GMC Sierra pickup truck, Cooney said.

Clarence Ditlow, who heads the Center for Auto Safety, criticized the shift in pricing of safety options. "It's in the best interest of the consumer to have these features as standard equipment."

Ditlow argues consumers will end up paying more for the devices as optional equipment than they would if they were embedded in the sticker price.