Incentive Wars: don't forget Chrysler

With the Red Tags bought up by GM, and Ford cornering the market on Simple Prices, all the easy incentive programs were taken. So, Chrysler came up with its own bold, new incentive strategy - throw in free stuff with every car.

Chrysler calls it the "Miles of Freedom Plan," and it applies to selected 2005 and 2006 Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles through January 3. Here's what you get:

• free gas for two years (a $2,400 debit card, based on fleet-average mpg and 12,000 miles per year)

• 24,000 miles of free maintenance

• 5 years/60,000 miles full mechanical warranty coverage.

Actually, buyers will get to chose between Miles of Freedom or the regular cash-back incentive offers, which remain in effect.

You can tell that, compared to Ford and Chevy, Chrysler has more cars that people want to buy, because the list of incentive-exempt vehicles is longer. Vehicles excluded from the Miles of Freedom promotion include Dodge Viper, Chrysler 300, Dodge Magnum, Dodge Charger, Dodge Sprinter and all SRT8 vehicles.

[Thanks everyone for the tips!]