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The New York Times reports, “General Motors Corp. says it is extending its employee discount offer through the end of the month. GM says it will offer employee pricing to consumers on nearly all 2008 models and most 2009 models through Sept. 30. The program’s two-week run was previously set to expire Tuesday..

The Detroit News adds, “Jesse Toprak, pricing and market analyst at Edmunds.com, an online automotive research site, said GM sales were down sharply earlier in the month before the plan was introduced.” Sales figures for August are not yet public, but many analysts believe the month saw the first jump in auto sales yet this year, in part because of the success of GM’s promotion.

The AP notes, “Employee discounts generally are 10 percent below the invoice price but vary by model. The Detroit automaker says the discount covers all 2008 GM vehicles in stock except medium-duty trucks. It is also discounting several 2009 vehicles, including many Chevrolet models, Silverado pickups and Hummer H2 and H3 sport utility vehicles.”

The prices — which we’ve detailed before — are in some cases very competitive. They include a few surprises. The Chevy Malibu Hybrid, which was selling quite well without the discount, is now available for about $2,000 off MSRP. And while high-performance cars are usually excluded from incentive deals, even the Corvette Z06 is on sale this time, available at a nearly $10,000 discount.

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