Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Are Chevy dealers gaming the system to keep Volt's $7,500 consumer rebate?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/31/are-chevy-dealers-gaming-the-system-to-keep-volts-7-500-consum/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/31/are-chevy-dealers-gaming-the-system-to-keep-volts-7-500-consum/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/31/are-chevy-dealers-gaming-the-system-to-keep-volts-7-500-consum/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

2011 Chevrolet Volt
2011 Chevrolet Volt - Click above for high-res image gallery

Getting beyond the drama of the Chevrolet Volt and its high-profile development process was supposed to mean that General Motors could focusing on enjoying the car's green halo. But that has not exactly been the case. On the other side of numerous awards and glowing reviews there have been the sales numbers and stories of dealer gouging. Speaking of dealers, a new story by Mark Modica on the National Legal and Policy Center site suggests that Chevy dealers are selling Volts to one another and claiming the car's $7,500 federal tax rebate for themselves, then selling the cars to private buyers as used sans rebate.

According to Modica, a Chicago dealer selling a Volt with 10 miles on the odometer flat-out admitted that it would be seeking the credit for itself: "When I asked if I was eligible for the $7,500 tax credit, I was told that I probably wasn't, since the dealership was applying for the subsidy." Even stranger, a Kia dealer in California was selling a Volt that had just 30 miles on it, and Modica was told that "the Volts offered at that dealership were rental cars with higher mileage on them."

We'd love to get some other research into this, because if this is true, it could help explain a lot of things - including the model's depressed sales.

Are Chevy dealers gaming the system to keep Volt's $7,500 consumer rebate? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 May 2011 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2011 chevrolet volt2011 chevy voltchevrolet voltchevy voltdealerdealershipev creditEV tax creditfederal tax creditvoltTue, 31 May 2011 09:29:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19952865/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/05/31/are-chevy-dealers-gaming-the-system-to-keep-volts-7-500-consum/19952865/article-detail.xml 19952865 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/05/voltdealergaming_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/05/voltdealergaming.jpg <![CDATA[Secretary LaHood says plug-in vehicle point-of-purchase rebates could replace tax credits in 2012]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/19/secretary-lahood-says-plug-in-vehicle-point-of-purchase-rebates/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/19/secretary-lahood-says-plug-in-vehicle-point-of-purchase-rebates/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/05/19/secretary-lahood-says-plug-in-vehicle-point-of-purchase-rebates/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Ray LaHood tours Nissan facility

Back in February, President Obama proposed changing the credit for plug-in vehicles over to a point-of-purchase rebate, a move that would likely speed up the $7,500 payment. Under the proposal, dealers would reduce the sticker price of eligible plug-in vehicles and apply for reimbursement from the government.

Well, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Congress will consider the proposed plug-in point-of-purchase rebate as part of changes to U.S. tax and energy policy for 2012. LaHood, who was touring Nissan's Smyrna, TN facility on Tuesday, told those in attendance:
We're doing a lot of talking about it. When you give people that incentive to buy a battery-powered car, they'll do it. We know these incentives help.
Under current policy, consumers who buy qualifying vehicles like the Nissan Leaf or the Chevrolet Volt receive a $7,500 credit when they file their federal income tax returns. LaHood says that the Obama Administration firmly believes that allowing dealers to handle the incentive as an immediate rebate will entice consumers and, hopefully, convince them to buy plug-in vehicles.

Secretary LaHood says plug-in vehicle point-of-purchase rebates could replace tax credits in 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 May 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>electric carselectric vehicleev creditev tax creditincentiveplug-in rebateplug-in vehiclepoint-of-purchase rebateray lahoodrebateThu, 19 May 2011 09:30:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19944118/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/05/19/secretary-lahood-says-plug-in-vehicle-point-of-purchase-rebates/19944118/article-detail.xml 19944118 http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2011/05/dotsecvisitsnissanbatteryplantmid_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/green.autoblog.com/media/2011/05/dotsecvisitsnissanbatteryplantmid.jpg <![CDATA[Report: $33M in EV tax credits went to buy unqualified vehicles]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/04/33-million-in-ev-tax-credits-went-to-buy-unqualified-vehicles/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/04/33-million-in-ev-tax-credits-went-to-buy-unqualified-vehicles/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/04/33-million-in-ev-tax-credits-went-to-buy-unqualified-vehicles/#commentsFiled under: ,



Is a bicycle an electric vehicle? How about a Hummer H3? These are some of the things that Americans claimed were hybrids, alternative-powered or plug-in electric vehicles on their tax forms, reports USA Today. What's more, the false claimants managed to get $33 million back from the federal government. According to the daily, $33 million is about 20 percent of the $163.9 million total that has been claimed under the tax credit programs so far.

The information comes from a new report, published by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (read the full report in PDF), which found that the problem lies with the IRS, which apparently doesn't have the "adequate procedures" required to ferret out which claims qualify and which don't. The IRS responded by saying it, "has already implemented measures to address some of the problems highlighted in the report." Okay, that's all somewhat understandable, but a getting money back for a bicycle? We love bikes, seriously, but we're pretty sure that they're not cars...

[Source: USA Today | Image: General Motors]

Report: $33M in EV tax credits went to buy unqualified vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 18:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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