DETROIT (CNNMoney.com) - General Motors slashed sticker prices Tuesday on most of its vehicles as the troubled automaker seeks to wean consumers away from expensive "incentives" and reverse a long erosion of its business at the hands of Asian and other competitors.

Under the new pricing structure, manufacturer's suggested retail prices on many GM vehicles have been cut, some by more than $2,500, the world's biggest automaker said.

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The move came as a key adviser to GM's biggest individual shareholder called for a 50 percent cut in the automaker's dividend along with compensation cuts for senior management, directors and hourly workers. (Full story).

GM said the price cuts affect vehicles that account for about 80 percent of its sales. It would not give an average percentage decrease under the new pricing program and it did not release a full list of price cuts.

But the 12 models for which GM did release old and new prices, the cuts ranged from a $1,000 drop for the Impala and the G6 to a $3,005 price cut for the Cadillac SRX V6.

The percentage declines ranged from a 4 percent cut for the Cadillac CTS to an 11.8 percent drop in price for the Silverado and Sierra regular cab pickup.

The move is a risk for GM, whose customers have become used to waiting for the automaker to make offers such as cash rebates, low-interest financing or temporary price cuts to spur car sales.

Lowering sticker prices force GM to sell the quality and reliability of its vehicles rather than special deals, said Rob Gentile, associate director for autos at Consumer Reports.

And while reliablity has improved in the last 10 years, Gentile said, GM quality may still be a tough sell with consumers who do not perceive GM as offering the same quality as Toyota, Honda and other Asian automakers.

GM said that a similar reduction in some sticker prices last August resulted in strong sales of several new or redesigned 2006 models, including the Chevy Impala and HHR, Pontiac Solstice and Cadillac DTS.

The Impala and DTS were introduced late last year at prices some $1,500 to $2,000 less than outgoing versions of those cars.

"We are spending too much of our ad money and too much of our time and talking about the next (incentive) deal," GM CEO Rick Wagoner told reporters at the North American International Auto Show, where the announcement was made.

Wagoner conceded that the pricing program announced in August had mixed success, but added that GM had learned from that experience.

"When we took if you will a half step, the response wasn't as good. Where we took the bold step it worked and now we're confident we can take it across the lineup," he said.

Neither Ford nor Chrysler made any announcements on vehicle pricing Tuesday.

GM's U.S. vehilcle sales fell 4 percent last year, and would have fallen even farther without promotions such as offering consumers the chance to buy GM cars at "employee pricing" levels throughout most of the summer.

Wagoner and Mark LaNeve, GM vice president, North America vehicle sales, service and marketing, both conceded that the price cuts won't end sales incentives and promotions that have cost GM billions and plunged its core automotive operations into the red.

But they said that this is an important step to stemming the incentives.

"We do not plan on having the same kind of propensity for incentives that we've had over the past couple of years, Wagoner said. "Obviously if it is required at different times of the year, we're not ruling out use of incentives. They will be significantly more targeted."

The full Chevolet lineup had prices cut as many Pontiac, Buick, GMC and Cadillac models.

Among the company's Saturn vehicles, only the Relay minivan had its price changed. No Saab or Hummer vehicles will have price changes.

"There's not a simple way to talk about it," said Wagoner. "We went category by category."

The new pricing strategy will make it easier for consumers, 67 percent of whom research new car purchases on the Internet, to see clear price comparisons between GM vehicles and competing products, the company said.

"A lot of people have not considered our product because they have gone onto Web sites that said the Impala costs more than the Camry," said Wagoner. "They said, 'Why should I buy the Impala?' It's because the Web sites haven't been picking up the incentives on the Impala."

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