July 17, 2008 - A state-of-the-art General Motors dealership in Michigan is applying for LEED Gold certification, two months after a Texas Toyota dealership became the first in the U.S. to achieve the distinction.

With SUV and truck sales falling off and Toyota's compact Prius in high demand, the automaker has undertaken a string of green initiatives - most recently installing a giant solar array above one of its factories in Spain - in a bid to appeal to consumers increasingly concerned about environmental issues.

"At GM we have invested heavily in making cars and trucks that impact the environment as little as possible," says Susan Docherty, VP of Buick-Pontiac-GMC. (In fact, its Chevy Tahoe hybrid was named Car of the Year.) "With the opening of this dealership and those that are sure to follow, our customers can enjoy a 360-degree 'green' car-buying and car-owning experience."

Green features of the new dealership include a geothermal heating and cooling system, a car wash that recovers 85% of its wastewater for reuse, and service bay lifts that run on vegetable oil. A computer system controls the lights, which automatically shut off when enough daylight fills the facility.

"Not all of our dealer partners may be able to take on all of these green initiatives," says Docherty, "but some can be easily incorporated into an existing or remodeled facility."