Winfrey gave each of the 276 members of her studio audience a new G6 car, which GM is banking on being one of its biggest hits in 2005.
The television giveaway -- one of the biggest to date, according to the Wall Street Journal -- was the result of a chance meeting between Larry Woodward, chief executive of GM's advertising agency, Publicis Groupe-owned Vigilante of New York, and Winfrey's best friend Gayle King in an airport lounge.
Winfrey, who is credited with being able to turn any product to gold due to the high respect and credibility she commands in the US, dedicated half-an-hour of her hugely popular show to the Pontiac G6.
GM refused to put a figure on the value of the deal. However, the cost of the cars alone amounts to $7.5m (£4.2m), and a 30-second ad spot on the show would set the manufacturer back around $70,000.
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