General Motors Corp

General Motors Corp. said Thursday it will waive remaining lease payments on its cars and light trucks if customers buy or lease new vehicles, as the largest auto maker tries to revive demand. Customers whose leases expire this September through March 2002 are eligible for the waiver program, which will start today and run through July 15, said spokeswoman Gwen Knapp. The offer doesn't include the Detroit auto maker's Saab, Saturn or Hummer brands, she said. General Motors' U.S.

Sales of sport-utility vehicles continue to climb, with buyers gravitating toward the smallest and largest of the breed. For Ford Motor Co., that means the gamble to build the industry's largest SUV, the Excursion, is paying off. And it is hurting General Motors Corp., which once disparaged the Excursion but is moving now to copy its leviathan dimensions in a six-door, extended-length Chevrolet Suburban.

General Motors Corp. lowered its fourth-quarter production forecast for North America by 4% from the year-ago quarter, amid signs of a slowing sales pace. The world's largest auto maker expects to make 677,000 cars, an 11% decrease from a year ago, and 3% more trucks to 713,000. Ford Motor Co., which has recently cut back production of some models, said it plans to review inventory levels of all of its car and truck lines as it heads into 2001.