For local car dealers, it was summer of love

Two little words saved this year’s automotive market: employee pricing.

The incentive package with the clever name, started in June by General Motors Co. and picked up in July by Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler, turned what could have been a tough year for local dealers into what may be one of the strongest on record.

“The year started off tough and then GM offered the family purchase deal and I think it pulled people ahead of the market,´ said Warren Yoder, general manager of Greeley’s Weld County Garage. “We sold four months of vehicles in two months’ time. I think it…