General Motors to Cut Warranty on Chevrolet Engines

General Motors Co plans to cut its powertrain warranty on Chevrolet and GMC vehicles for the 2016 model year because the offer was not a strong enough selling point, Automotive News reported on Thursday.

The five-year, 100,000-mile powertrain coverage, in place for nearly a decade, will be reduced to five years and 60,000 miles for the 2016 models, the trade publication said, citing a memo sent to dealers.

Under a powertrain warranty, a carmaker will make repairs to the engine and transmission at no cost to the consumer.

The GM brands will continue to offer courtesy transportation and roadside assistance during the coverage period, Automotive News said.

The Detroit automaker also will scale back its offer of two years of free maintenance, including oil changes and tire rotations, on most new Chevy, GMC and Buick vehicles, the publication said. The brands will reduce the number of free service visits to two, from four, starting with 2016 models.

GM officials could not immediately be reached to comment.