Rebates and incentives

'CHASING THAT CRAZY NUMBER'

Dealers grouse that stair-step plans are causing more pain than last year

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 29, 2013
Stair-step programs, the incentive plans that drive many dealers crazy, are causing more grumbling than they were a year ago. Several major retailers, including some of the largest dealership groups in the country, say stair-step programs are worse than last spring.... Read More »

 

Accavitti sees American Honda's U.S. sales rising 6% in April

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 25, 2013
Honda's sales in the United States should increase by more than 6 percent in April, a top executive said Wednesday. Separately, GM CEO Dan Akerson said he sees April sales rising at a similar rate as the previous month, when they increased 3 percent.... Read More »

 

Toyota blinks on Camry deals after February sales fall

6:34 pm U.S. ET | March 5, 2013
To see the constant tension at automakers between sales volumes and profit margins, look no further than the current state of Toyota's Camry. A rare dip in U.S. sales for the Camry last month reflects rising competition for Toyota. In response, Toyota has begun offering no-interest financing on the 2013 Camry, excluding the hybrid version.... Read More »

 

GM lowers Malibu pricing to compete with Camry in online searches

1:34 pm U.S. ET | Feb. 8, 2013
GM, aiming to make the mid-sized Chevrolet Malibu sedan more appealing to online car shoppers, lowered the car's price by hundreds of dollars to compete with better-selling mid-sized sedans. GM lowered the prices of Malibu by as much as $770 as the automaker seeks to improve its results in a segment that includes five of the 20 most popular vehicles in the United States.... Read More »

 

GM plans 10 weeks of downtime at pickup plants

12:34 am U.S. ET | Feb. 2, 2013
GM, which saw pickup inventories rise 24 percent last month, will take out 10 weeks of truck production as it prepares to introduce a redesigned Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra in the second quarter.... Read More »

 

Ford launches deals to spur Focus EV sales

3:25 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 25, 2013
Ford, responding to soft sales for the Ford Focus EV and recent moves by rivals, has launched a wave of discounts and special lease deals to spur demand for the alternative-powered compact car.... Read More »

 

GM offers employee pricing in Canada

2:06 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 20, 2012
GM, which began offering higher incentives in United States in an effort to clear out its bloated supply of pickups, now is also offering incentives on its pickups in Canada despite a much lower supply there.... Read More »

 

GM juices incentives amid pickup glut, sweetens some car leases

1:52 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 7, 2012
General Motors today is rolling out bigger discounts on full-sized pickups and other vehicles in an effort to slash bloated inventories, which are at their highest levels since before GM’s June 2009 bankruptcy. A GM program that starts today and runs through Jan. 2 will allow dealers to add as much as $2,000 in customer cash to 2012 and 2013 Chevrolet Silverados and GMC Sierras, according to a memo sent to dealers.... Read More »

 

LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE

What's next in Marchionne-Piech tussle -- a bounty?

4:27 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 4, 2012
One of Chrysler's lesser-advertised incentives unveiled this month is steeped in so much personal pique it should come with its own dueling glove.... Read More »

 

JIM HENRY

Give thanks for pent-up demand, lender rivalry

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 21, 2012
This Thanksgiving, dealerships can be grateful for pent-up demand and sharper competition among auto lenders. Those factors show no sign of letting up any time soon, according to research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.... Read More »

 

JIM HENRY

Time to brace for the luxury rush

12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 14, 2012
For the past 10 years or so, December has become the biggest sales month of the year for luxury brands. But it seems as if those brands' year-end sales pushes start earlier every year.... Read More »

 

Mercedes pitches $5,000 VIP discounts to hold U.S. lead over BMW

Nov. 1, 2012 06:01 CET
Mercedes-Benz, guarding its U.S. premium-auto sales lead, is letting some buyers skip more monthly payments than BMW and offering as much as $5,000 discounts to "VIP customers."... Read More »

 

Mercedes pitches $5,000 VIP discounts to hold U.S. lead over BMW

1:19 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 31, 2012
Mercedes-Benz, guarding its U.S. luxury-auto sales lead, is letting some buyers skip more monthly payments than BMW and offering as much as $5,000 discounts to "VIP customers."... Read More »

 

NADA blasts automakers on facility programs, stair-step incentives

3:57 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 23, 2012
The chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association today criticized manufacturers for "intrusion" into dealers' operations by requiring facility renovations and creating two tiers of pricing for retailers. "Two-tier pricing and mandatory facility upgrades are symptoms of a bigger overall problem: manufacturer intrusion into dealers' businesses," NADA Chairman Bill Underriner said during a speech to the Automotive Press Association in Detroit.... Read More »

 

Mercedes' 3,000 euro discounts signal Germany's car sales woes

Oct. 17, 2012 06:01 CET
Germany, which had bucked the decline this year in Europe's auto market, is succumbing to the economic downturn, prompting car companies including premium automaker Mercedes-Benz to increase incentives to a two-year high.... Read More »

 

GM teams with Costco to offer added spiffs

3:46 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 3, 2012
GM and Costco Auto Program are offering Costco members preferred pricing and a $500 Costco Cash Card when they buy selected models — some of which have suffered recent sales declines.... Read More »

 

Truck deals, pent-up demand boost Sept U.S. auto sales

12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 30, 2012
Auto sales will likely rise 8 percent or more in September as dealers offered generous cash incentives on pickup trucks that amounted to as much as $10,000 a vehicle in some areas of the United States, analysts said.... Read More »

 

Chevy marketing chief defends Volt spiffs

4:23 pm U.S. ET | Sept. 26, 2012
Chevrolet's marketing boss has defended General Motors' recent use of incentives to help lift sales of the Chevrolet Volt, saying GM needs more people to experience the car's plug-in hybrid technology.... Read More »

 

Pricing, incentives key to Honda Accord's success in tough U.S. market

12:01 am U.S. ET | Sept. 8, 2012
Honda needs the next generation of its bread-and-butter mid-sized car, the Accord, to be a hit in the United States, and pricing and incentives may play a key role in a tough mid-sized sedan market.... Read More »

 

AUGUST U.S. AUTO SALES

U.S. light-vehicle demand jumps 20%; SAAR hits 14.53 million

8:00 am U.S. ET | Sept. 4, 2012
U.S. auto sales -- led by Honda, the Volkswagen Group and Toyota -- jumped 20 percent last month to 1.28 million for the strongest monthly pace in three years. The Detroit 3 also posted double-digit sales gains for August, signaling the auto industry's recovery remains solidly on track despite sluggish economic growth, rising gasoline prices and widespread consumer uncertainty. The seasonally adjusted annual sales rate for August accelerated to 14.53 million from 14.1 million in July and 12.... Read More »

 

AUGUST U.S. AUTO SALES

Vehicle sales buoyed in U.S. as bonus incentives grow

3:19 am U.S. ET | Aug. 31, 2012
Car shoppers have long known that they can often buy at lower prices at the end of the month as dealers slash prices to meet sales quotas. Their chances for such deals have been especially strong as 2012 wears on.... Read More »

 

NEWS ANALYSIS

Chevy's 'Love It or Return It' campaign echoes similar programs in 2009

3:57 pm U.S. ET | July 11, 2012
To use a football metaphor, trick plays are great but how many times can you go to the same playbook? General Motors is about to find out.... Read More »

 

Chevy offers 60-day returns, sets no-haggle prices on 2012s

8:00 am U.S. ET | July 10, 2012
General Motors, in a move to appeal to new buyers, said today that it will allow consumers to return any new 2012 or 2013 model year Chevrolet for a full refund within 60 days, if they're unhappy with their purchase. Chevrolet also said it would offer lower pricing on all 2012s on top of other incentives the automaker already has in place.... Read More »

 

Mercedes offers sales incentives to boost new A class

June 30, 2012 06:01 CET
Mercedes-Benz is offering incentives on its new A class in Germany in a bid to lure customers away from rivals BMW, Audi and Volkswagen.... Read More »

 

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Keep stair-step incentives coming

12:01 am U.S. ET | June 18, 2012
I generally agree with Keith Crain's opinions regarding our industry. But I disagree with his opinion about stair-step incentives in his May 28 column, "Bad habits are surfacing again."... Read More »