General Motors says it will offer employee discounts to everyone starting Wednesday, Aug. 20. The sale will apply to all of GM's eight brands.

"We are going to have an employee-discount-for-everyone program," GM spokesman John McDonald confirmed today. "We are going to issue a press release tomorrow morning with the details."

In a memo to Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealers, GM said the sale would run Aug. 20 through Sept. 2. For the B-P-G channel, the employee pricing would apply to all 2008 models and the 2009 Pontiac Vibe. Customers could get up to $6,000 cash plus the employee discount.

The memo says 91 percent of B-P-G inventory is eligible for the sale.

All 2008 Chevrolet models also would be eligible for the discount, a dealer said. The discount would apply to 90 percent of Chevrolet inventory.

GM says the sale will apply to all eight brands. Today the automaker was briefing U.S. dealers on incentives ahead of an announcement of the new sales program, people familiar with the plans have said.

Besides the employee pricing, GM will offer cash back on slower-selling light trucks including the Silverado pickup, said the dealer, who had just been briefed by GM. The company last offered employee pricing on a wide scale in the summer of 2005.

The program was successful, but by year end, some inside GM expressed regret for allowing it to run as long as it did. The program pulled customers so far ahead that year-end sales suffered.

When asked whether GM has concerns that the same effect could happen again, GM's McDonald declined to comment.

Reuters contributed to this report