General Motors is hoping its wide-ranging promotional deal with the big-screen Transformers movie will turn around sales woes, reports the Associated Press.

GM supplied the real-world cars for four of the heroic Autobots in the movie, a Chevy Camaro, Pontiac Solstice, GMC Topkick and Hummer H2. The use of the cars means that the models not only get major screen time but also appear as toys, on posters and in video games, among a host of other executions.

GM is also spending millions of dollars promoting the deal with a number of TV spots as well as dealership promotions. Two microsites, AutobotsRollout and ChevyAutobots, support the effort for the promotion.

The car maker hopes this massive exposure in a movie likely to be popular with young adults will lead that demographic to consider GM for a future car purchase.

GM will be paid nothing for the actual placement deal, largely because Michael Bay signaled early on his interest in having the cars in the film.

Some cars are specialty models. The Camaro that Bumblebee turns into is not yet in production. It is a concept design Bay saw at an auto show last year.