Cash For Clunkers

CARS set out to kill two birds with one stone: jumpstart slow automobile sales and get a large number of older cars off the road.

As the models continue to grow older, the Ford Crown Victoria is slowly but surely disappearing from US cities as the prevailing taxicab. The same thing is happening in Morocco with its huge fleet of Mercedes-Benz W123-chassis taxis thanks to a little help from the government. The authorities cite safety and environmental reasons for the decades-old sedans to be removed from the

According to a Brookings evaluation of the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), more commonly known as Cash for Clunkers, the $2.85-billion program cost taxpayers $1.4 million for each of the 3,676 jobs created by it from June to December 2009. The White House reportedly estimated that the program would create 70,000 jobs. Additionally, the evaluation states that more effective alternative fiscal stimulus policies could have b

For consumers coming to terms with years of driving a gas-guzzling, carbon-producing clunker car, there is a solution – trade it in for fresh, young saplings. That's the premise for a program in the United Kingdom, where owners can turn in their gas guzzler and have tree groves planted in return.

We'll deliver the facts and leave it up to math whizzes to figure out how far an electric-powered Zero Motorcycle can go on an extra $2,500 worth of juice. We suspect it's a real long way.

Does it matter to you how happy other people are with their cars and trucks? Marketing experts often say that word-of-mouth endorsement from those in our social circles are more influential than advertising. It makes sense. So, perhaps the somewhat surprising findings of a new study on customer satisfaction might influence your thinking. It is based, after all on surveys filled out by car owners about how happy they are with their cars.

Parts containing mercury were used for items like anti-lock brakes sensors and hood light switches until 2004. The following year, an umbrella organization called End of Life Vehicle Solutions (ELVS) began retrieving the mercury switches from junked cars, its activities paid for by contributions from automakers.

Parts containing mercury were used for items like anti-lock brakes sensors and hood light switches until 2004. The following year, an umbrella organization called End of Life Vehicle Solutions (ELVS) began retrieving the mercury switches from junked cars, its activities paid for by contributions from automakers.

When Cash For Clunkers was announced in 2009, the federal government promised to keep close tabs on the vouchers that were paid out in exchange for clunkers. Problem is, the program led to 4.3 million taxpayers receiving $7.2 billion if vehicle deductions in the span of only a few months. So it should come as little surprise that some less-than-reputable deals passed through the C4C juggernaut, including vouchers for criminals in jail,

If there's been a single reason for hope among auto executives during the past few lean years, it's been spelled C-H-I-N-A. Despite being a difficult regulatory environment with many hoops for automakers to jump through, the People's Republic has shone as the industry's brightest and biggest hope for big volumes and bigger profits. Certainly, the nation has delivered massive sales in

Third quarter automotive sales figures were the best the industry has seen in just over a year. How are the automakers managing such numbers in light of a puffed-up 2009 third quarter filled with C4C transactions? Fleet sales.

Where there's money, there's fraud, and that appears to have been true with last year's Cash for Clunkers program. According to a report from USA Today, the federal government is investigating around 20 dealers that may have violated the terms of the car-swapping scheme. So far, a total of nine dealerships have paid $71,500 in fines as a result of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration's findings.

Australia's recently seated prime minister, Julia Gillard, is just now talking about a "cash for clunkers' program when most other countries ended theirs ages ago. Yet for Gillard, the program isn't about stimulating car sales but rather about stimulating the Earth: Gillard wants to get about ten percent of Oz's two million pre-1995 vehicles off the roads.

Cash-for-Clunkers was among the more watched auto-related story lines of 2009. With the industry hurting, the government provided cash vouchers of between $3,500 and $4,500 to anyone who turned in a vehicle that was eight (or more) years-old and with between two and 10 miles-per-gallon worse fuel economy numbers than the new car or truck with which it was replaced. The program went from fledgling

Cash-for-Clunkers was among the more watched auto-related story lines of 2009. With the industry hurting, the government provided cash vouchers of between $3,500 and $4,500 to anyone who turned in a vehicle that was eight (or more) years-old and with between two and 10 miles-per-gallon worse fuel economy numbers than the new car or truck with which it was replaced. The program went from fledgling

Remember that insane list filled with great cars that were reportedly crushed under the Cash-for-Clunkers program? We were wondering if and when the federal government would thoroughly audit dealers who cashed in products like a 2006 Cadillac STS, an Audi S6 or a 2008 Foose F-150. That still may or may not happen, but apparently isn't the chief concern of Iowa Senator (R) Charles Grassley.

China has announced the extension of the country's vehicle scrappage scheme for 2010. Motorists will be able to trade in cars that are considered "highly pollutant" and receive a state subsidy worth between 5,000 yuan (about $730) and 18,000 yuan ($2,600), which is a significant increase over last year's maximum of 6,000 yuan. A "highly polluting" car is either a gasoline car that doesn't qualify for the first tier of Chinese emission regulations (e.g., early VW Santanas) or diesels that don't q

France had one of Europe's most ambitious "cash for clunkers" plan, but the fun will end in the new year. Starting January 1st, France's program will only pay out the largest award – €1,000 – to buyers of just one model: the smart fortwo cdi. The reason can be found at the tailpipe.

The U.S. Car Allowance Rebate System (a.k.a. 'cash-for-clunkers') program was a short-term boon for automakers participating in our market. Sales went up, inventory went down and nearly 700,000 vehicles that would likely have otherwise ended up on used car lots were destroyed. And since the U.S. is essentially a free market where automakers around the globe are allowed to participate, Japanese and European automakers benefited from the program as well. In fact, Japanese automakers fared even bet