I’m in the process of updating the prices of 2008 cars and trucks, and GM’s recent price hikes are especially pervasive. Some base prices are up by about $500, many others by about $300. On the base Malibu LS the MSRP is unchanged, but the invoice has crept up about $100, further squeezing the already tight dealer margin. The senior trim levels of this strong seller have received larger price increases in both MSRP and invoice.

The destination charge on the Malibu remains unchanged at $650. Yet many others are up, in some cases by nearly $100. That for the tiny Chevrolet Aveo has been bumped from $565 to $660–oddly higher than that of the larger Malibu. Notably, the destination charges for the large SUVs remain unchanged at $900–GM might be wary of getting too close to $1,000, which might prove to be a psychological barrier. Who’ll test it first?

Many option prices are also up. The price of the Bose audio system in the large SUVs has been bumped only $5, to $500. This suggests that GM carefully considered everywhere it might eke out a few extra bucks without causing potential customers to walk. The price of the center roof rails on these SUVs has actually been doubled, from $45 to $90. This resembles the recent price increases on engine block heaters. Seems some features were priced well under what people would willingly pay for them. The captain’s chairs in these SUVs now list for $590, up from $490, a healthy 20 percent jump. Many option packages have received $50 to $75 increases.

And so on across the board. Now GM will study the impact on sales. If buyers balk, we’ll see higher rebates, resulting in little or no net change. And if they don’t, GM could get the stronger balance sheet that has eluded it in recent years.