Autoblog

When automakers unveiled an all-new, full-size pickup a couple years ago, copious amounts of cash would pour in for months on end. A lousy economy and a flat-lined auto industry has made the launches of the 2009 Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram far less exciting for their perspective owners, and proof can be found in the form of cash on hoods. Both trucks hit the market with substantial incentives to help push the new haulers into the hands of truck-weary Americans.

The F-150 comes with $2,000 in factory rebates regardless of cab configuration, and the Ram 1500 gets $1,000 and the 2500 and 3500 receive $2,000 in OEM assistance. The move comes as little surprise as the construction projects in the US have slowed and this summer's $4 per gallon gasoline has scared thousands of potential buyers out of the truck market. Both Ford and Chrysler (GM?) are hoping monetary assistance will bring those buyers out of hiding and into their local Ford or Dodge dealer.



[Source: Kicking Tires]

Chrysler's departure from the leasing game certainly isn't going to help dealers move stale product off their lots, so the automaker has announced a new sales program unimaginatively named the "Shop 'Til You Drive Sales Event." What'll it take to get you into a new Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep vehicle?

Well, aside from $2,000 cash back on "select retail purchases," Chrysler is offering an August-only, 72-month, zero-percent APR financing deal on many of its slow-selling models that aims to make monthly payments approximately the same as a 36-month lease.

Additionally, pricing on Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep vehicles has been slashed, with the Ram dropping 40-percent of its MSRP, Aspen hacked by up to 25 percent, Town & Country minivans cut by 24 percent and Grand Cherokees dropping 28 percent.

Chrysler will also try to get lessees back into dealerships by offering special "loyalty incentives" that will be applied to a new retail purchase, along with waiving the $425 lease disposition fee.

The full details are posted in the press release below the fold.

[Sources: Chrysler, Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

You thought you knew how much a Dodge Journey costs. Well, it's actually a thousand dollars less than that. Why? Because Chrysler is offering that much as an incentive to folks who plunk down the balance on a 2009 Dodge Journey. On the This Is Not Good side, it's the first 2009 model of the year to put money on the hood, and frankly, it just never looks good when the manufacturer offers cash to entice buyers. On the This Is Really Not Bad side, has anyone had a look at the things folks in Journey's market segment are enduring right now? (Hint: rhymes with "portgage misis.") Yeah. So we won't hit Dodge over the head... but we will be watching...


[Source: Kicking Tires]

Fresh off news that Ford Motor Company was raising prices by an average of $502 per vehicle, the Dearborn automaker told dealers that the company would significantly increase incentives. The goal is to keep older vehicles like the Mercury Milan and Ford F-150 moving off dealer lots while also appeasing a hurting dealer network. Ford plans on using marketing dollars to target specific regions of the US where a particular vehicle may be struggling. That may mean that in Chicago you can get $2,000 on the hood of a Milan, but in California incentives could reach $3,000. CNW Marketing Research President Art Spinella points out to The Detroit News that this selective spend approach is a lot like what new top marketing guy Jim Farley did successfully during his time at Toyota.

After looking at all the red arrows in January's "By the Numbers" report here at Autoblog, we're guessing Ford isn't the only company looking to bump incentives. How many times do Toyota, Honda, and Nissan all report down sales in the same month? At least Ford bumped prices first so the upcoming price battle could be mitigated somewhat.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Perhaps the rhetoric coming from Chrysler that the market for minivans is alive and well is just that: rhetoric. The automaker's year end Event of a Lifetime sale happens to include its brand new minivans, the Town & Country and the Dodge Caravan, which can be had until December 3rd with $1,000 on the hood or long-term financing as low as 1.9% APR. Other Chrysler models included in the sale are the 300 ($1,500), 300C ($3,000, excluding the SRT-8), Sebring Convertible ($2,000), Aspen ($1,000), PT Cruiser ($1,000) and the Pacifica in both five- ($1,500) and six-passenger ($2,000) models. You can check out what Dodge and Jeep are offering, as well as any other automaker, on the Cars.com Incentive Page that's always up to date.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

The Truth About Cars is reporting that some households are receiving "private cash" rebates of $500 to pluck a Mercury off the dealer lot, but not everybody is getting the message. There is no telling who is getting these emails or why, but the cash-off coupon can reportedly be used to grab any Mercury without a hybrid powertrain, i.e. it doesn't apply to the Mariner Hybrid. Each email has a specific code that is non-transferable, so sending the offer to a friend is out of the question. Mercury is also targeting buyers that don't seem to have a Ford-branded vehicle in their driveway, as conquest sales would be a big shot in the arm for the blue oval's most beleaguered domestic.

We can see why Mercury ad execs would send out a special rebate email to spur sales, but it's hard to imagine why the offers aren't transferable to those who would actually use them. With the recent high quality scores for the Milan and the improvements made to the Sable, the more people that Mercury can get into its showrooms the better.

[Source: The Truth About Cars]

GM has bucked the domestic trend of consistently giving up market share to Japanese automakers for the past couple months, and with a new round of incentives, the General is hoping to keep the trend going. The Silverado and GMC Envoy are among the vehicles receiving an additional $1,000 in rebates during the entire month of October. GM is using targeted incentives on trucks and SUVs, but the incentives don't apply universally throughout the lineup.

Although GM's sales improved year over year in September, incentives were actually down $240 vs. August, to an average of $3,089 per vehicle. That's still $800 more than the industry average, but better than GM's incentive spending in years past. With GM's market share stabilizing, incentives closer to industry average, a competitive labor contract, and some interesting products in the pipeline, GM may have turned the barge faster than we expected.

[Source: Bloomberg]

Chrysler is already offering five-year, interest-free loans on some of its cars. As of today, it is also offering six-year, interest-free loans and cash incentives. Cerberus, faced with Chrysler's first decline in sales since it took the controls, is not inclined to waste time trying to raise its share. It could also be an effort to make space for '08 model year vehicles. Nevertheless, Chrysler's drop -- 6.1-percent in August, but only 2.7-percent over the first eight months of the year -- is the smallest of the Big Three.

Buyers can take advantage of the six-year loan, or the cash (but not both, sorry), on the Grand Caravan, Town & Country LWB, Dakota, Durango, and Aspen. The new incentives are good through October 1.

[Source: Detroit News]

General Motors has decided to bring back 0% and reduced-rate financing on many of its models to save its sales efforts for March. No doubt the General is keen on putting up positive numbers for the month to compliment the other bits of good news that have signaled its turnaround may have turned the corner. The new incentives start today and include 0% financing for 36 months and reduced-rate financing for up to 72 months, in addition to an extra $1,000 rebate that can also be used by the customer. The vehicles eligible for the new incentives, which will last through April 3rd, include the usual suspects, as well as the new 2007 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra, which is a bit of a surprise. The automaker no doubt senses an opportunity to hit its main rival, the Ford F-150, where it hurts. Considering the current F-150 is now an older model than the new GMT900 trucks from GM, as well as the new Toyota Tundra, its position as King of the Hill in the truck country is in serious jeopardy this year.

[Source: Automotive News]

In this day and age it's a sin to still have 2006 models sitting on your dealer lot. Unfortunately for dealers under The Chrysler Group umbrella, their lots are teaming with '06 metal. The Detroit News quotes analyst John Casesa of Casesa Shapiro LLC as saying, "To have a third of your inventory in old models when you're two months into the (2007) model year, that's heavy." Heavy indeed, John.

Chrysler has put into effect two campaigns that it hopes will start clearing out the lots of last year's inventory. The first is aimed at the dealers themselves and involves about $500 million in dealer cash incentives to sell 2006 models. Dealers will earn an additional $2,500 to $7,000 for every 2006 model they sell. The easiest to sell models like the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300 will earn dealers $2,500 unit per unit, while the tough sell trucks and SUVs like the Ram pickup and Durango will fetch a hard-earned $7,000 per unit. Consumers will be happy to know that on average Chrysler passes 85% of that money on to consumers.

In addition to lower transaction prices from the dealer cash Chrysler's shelling out, more than 3 million consumers are receiving coupons worth $1,000 that can be used towards the purchase of most 2006 and 2007 models. These coupons can be added on top of any existing incentive offers, as well. The only vehicles excluded are the 2007 Chrysler Sebring sedan; Dodge Viper sports car, Nitro, and Sprinter van; Jeep Wrangler, Patriot, and 2006/07 Grand Cherokee SRT-8.

The coupon mailing is the largest ever sent about Chrysler, and while the dealer cash is not being advertised to the public, you heard it here that these double discounts are in effect and now might be the best time to pick up that 300C you've had your eye on.

[Source: The Detroit News]