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DETROIT — In June, General Motors had 6,049 dealerships selling eight brands, with 87 brand combinations. After the arbitration process and Letters of Intent were sent out, the automaker says the new, smaller dealer network will be much simpler with about 4,500 dealerships, selling 15 brand combinations and four brands.

While the new network is about 25 percent smaller than it was, GM said it remains the nation's largest, which is designed to offer customers "more choice and convenience" in where they purchase and service their vehicles. The new network will be effective Nov. 1.

"We spent a considerable amount of time and effort to work toward a mutually agreeable resolution with our dealers," Mark Reuss, president of GM North America, said Thursday. "We're pleased that we could complete this process in what we believe is an effective and efficient manner."

Giving some history, GM indicated that during its restructuring and bankruptcy process last year, the automaker offered wind-down agreements to 2,064 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealers. The company had determined these dealers needed to transition one or more of these brands from the dealer network by Oct. 31, 2010, which is when the dealer agreements expire.

However, under the federal law that passed in December 2009, 1,176 dealers filed arbitration cases with the American Arbitration Association. According to GM, only 62 arbitration cases were completed with decisions provided.

GM said it offered 702 Letters of Intent to involved dealers, which allows them to conduct normal dealer operations as soon as they comply with the terms of the Letters of Intent.

Meanwhile, the automaker reached 408 individual resolutions with other dealers, most of these calling for the dealer to continue the wind-down process. Four cases were apparently dismissed.

As a part of accepting the Letters of Intent, dealerships must participate in major facilities' upgrades. GM noted that 300 upgrades for its network have already been completed, with about 1,000 upgrades scheduled through the end of the year.

As part of the updating, dealers must provide customer-friendly features such as work areas with phone and laptop computer power outlets, Wi-Fi and a café area with refreshments. The initiative kicked off in October of last year and about 100 dealerships are being upgraded a month.

Also, as a part of this effort, GM said it is updating or installing new signs at Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealerships throughout the country. The signs were created to feature a "more contemporary design" and reflect the current image guidelines for each brand.

"Our dealers are the face of GM to our customers and valued members of the communities where they do business across America," said Reuss. "We're confident our dealer network will be the best in the business. It will be the right size with the right dealers to give our customers great service during and after the purchase.

"A strong, profitable dealer network selling and servicing the world's best cars and trucks is a genuine market advantage," he continued.

Reuss went on to note that while GM dealers traditionally rank near the top or above the industry average for customer service and sales satisfaction by third-party sources, the new dealer network will be "even more focused on being an industry leader in customer care."

Ultimately, Reuss concluded by saying, "Customers throughout the country will be seeing a new look at the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealerships in their communities. Putting our new dealer network in place is one of the most important elements in the rebirth of GM."