June 9 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Corp. raised cash incentives to provide for as much as $6,000 back on seven large sport-utility vehicles and pickup models that have combined for a 27 percent sales drop this year.

GM, the biggest U.S. automaker, will give as much as $4,000 cash back for current GM owners on models such as the GMC Tahoe hybrid SUV, the Cadillac Escalade SUV, and the Chevrolet Silverado pickup, the Detroit-based company said. The program is in addition to existing offers of as much as $2,000 cash back.

``We wanted to build some opportunity with our loyal customers to get them to the showroom,'' said GM spokesman John McDonald in an interview. The program started June 7 and runs to the end of the month.

The move reflects efforts to prop up sales even as the automaker tries to curb spending so it can boost profit from each vehicle sold. This is the first cash incentive GM has offered on the hybrid versions of its large SUVs, which went on sale in late January, McDonald said.

Through the end of May, GM sold a combined 1,735 units of the two hybrid vehicles, starting at $50,490, compared with about 56,000 for its conventional versions, according to Bloomberg calculations.

Owners of GM models from the 1999 model year or newer are qualified for the cash offers, McDonald said. A buyer of a 2008 Chevrolet Suburban SUV, for example, may get as much as $6,000 cash back, which includes $4,000 for being a current owner and a $2,000 cash inducement that was already in place.

Fuel Value

That equals roughly 18 months' worth of gasoline for the Suburban, according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency data. The organization assumes average gasoline prices of $3.94 per gallon and 15,000 miles driven annually.

As of May 31, GM lowered its average incentive by 1.4 percent from April to $3,197, compared with less than a 1 percent drop industrywide, according to Autodata Corp.

GM, which hasn't had a yearly profit since 2004, is reducing annual North American truck capacity by 700,000 vehicles and closing four plants as it shifts more production to cars. Gasoline averaging near $4 a gallon this year drove down industry truck sales 16 percent, while cars fell less than 1 percent.

GM gained 26 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $16.48 at 4 p.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares have fallen 34 percent this year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Greg Bensinger in New York at gbensinger1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: June 9, 2008 16:29 EDT