Reprinted from The Pinecrest Tribune--July 11-24, 2005

By Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld

Eighteen months ago, Lomberto Perez, with the help of General Motors, took over Hallet Pontiac and renamed it AutoCity of Pinecrest. He also joined the Pinecrest Business Association.

Perez came to Miami as part of the Pedro Pan exodus from Cuba. He stayed in the Pedro Pan camp for a few months and then relocated to the state of Washington. He came back in 1973 and started selling cars at Courtesy Ford. He later sold car at Metro Ford, owned by his brother. In 1992, he became involved in the GMC Minority Owner program.

“They have a division that is like an investment partner,” Perez says. “They put up most of the money and the dealer partner puts in some.

”His first dealership was in Pomona, California. He was there for three years before selling the dealership and buying the former Armstrong Pontiac GMC in Homestead.

“When I took over Hallet, I sold the one in Homestead back to GM,” he says.

Since taking control, sales have picked up. In early summer, GM launched the GM Employee Pricing Program, which allows people to buy cars at the same discount that GM employees receive.

“That sparked the interest of the consumer,” Perez says. “Our traffic doubled and sales tripled.

”The length of the sale depended on inventory. The sale was designed to clear out the 2005 models and make room for the new 2006 vehicles. GM is introducing several new cars during the new model year.

“We have a lot of new models in Buick, Pontiac and GMC,” Perez says.

He adds that for a while GM lagged behind the competition. But now, the company is making up for lost ground.

“We have the brand new G6 that replaced the Grand Am,” Perez says. “You can get a two-door coupe or a four-door sedan.

”Another new model is the two-seat Pontiac Solstice, which Perez says will be “a tremendous success.”

“Initial orders were sold through television show The Apprentice,” he says. “One-thousand cars were sold in 30 minutes."

The Pontiac Torrent will make its debut soon, too. It’s an SUV similar to the Chevy Equinox, but more upscale.

Buick also is coming out with new cars to attract a younger demographic. The Buick Lacrosse replaced the Century and Regal, and the company is also introducing the Lucerne, a new model that will replace the Le Sabre.“The Buick line is becoming more stylish, more competitive and also more upscale to compete with Lexus,” Perez says.

The GMC truck line also will have new models for the 2007 model year.“Next year the entire GMC brand will be restyled,” Perez says.

The 2007 models will have completely new looks to make them more appealing to consumers.

More information on the new cars is available on the AutoCity blog at .For more information, call 305-238-4040 or visit .