Chevrolet Incentives Perk Up for December

As we get closer to the end of 2010, automakers are starting to pile on the cash on their remaining 2010 model year inventory and some of the 2011 models, too.

The same holds true at America’s second-largest automotive brand, Chevrolet. Vehicles such as the outgoing 2010 Aveo get $2,500 cash back, which, proportional to its $11,965 starting price, is a nice chunk of change. The more popular 2010 Malibu gets $3,500, and the 2011 Malibu gets $2,000. Chevrolet’s large SUVs, crossovers and trucks get between $2,000 and $5,000 cash back.

The new Cruze, Equinox and Camaro, which continue to sell like hotcakes, don’t have any cash-back deals. The Equinox and Cruze do have some attractive lease deals, though: You can take a Cruze home for as little as $159 a month for 39 months.

Almost all 2010 and 2011 models get attractive financing options between 0% and 3.9% for up to 72 months.

GM is no longer producing any 2010 model year vehicles, and overall, 2010 models make up only about 16% to 18% of GM’s current inventory; the rest are 2011 models. That means some of these great deals are probably hard to come by. All of the current incentives expire Jan. 3.

Ready for Labor Day Car Shopping? Ten Impressive 2010 Deals

Summer is one of the best times of the year to shop for a great deal on a new car, and that window usually lasts until Labor Day. Most manufacturers are trying to offload their previous model-year inventory in preparation for the next model-year units that are headed to dealer lots. And unlike autumn, when inventory levels of 2010 models may be low, many 2010s are still available. 

To help you sort through the best deals, we’ve compiled a list of 10 of the best remaining cash and loan incentives. 

When we refer to cash-back incentives, these are manufacturer incentives, which are a form of regularly advertised offers. Dealer incentives are bit more tricky to understand: Known as factory-to-dealer incentives, this is a type of stimulus given directly to dealers to move vehicles. These incentives typically aren’t advertised to the consumer, and dealerships aren’t obligated to share the incentive with the car buyer, so that’s why it’s important to do your research. 

Some models on this list, such as the 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee, have been recently redesigned or received significant upgrades for 2011. Other models are just poor sellers in general, such as the 2010 Chevy HHR and 2010 Infiniti FX35. 

Not all automakers switch to a new model year at the same time. For example, the Toyota Camry made the switch to 2011 in March. 

Continue reading for the complete list.  

Chevy Incentives Roll On

You might hear stories that automakers aren’t offering lucrative incentives this summer like in past years, but if you’ve been following our blog, you know there are plenty of incentives out there for July. Chevrolet is not shying away from big cash-back offers, either. Not only is there up to $5,000 cash back on 2010 Silverado and Avalanche pickup trucks, but $4,000 cash back on the Impala and the sub-$20,000 HHR. Zero percent financing for up to 72 months is also available on many models.

We list more of the cash-back deals below, but the company is also quietly offering a $1,000 bonus cash offer to owners or leasees of 1999 or newer Toyota vehicles. That deal and the cash-back and financing offers run through Sept. 7.  

Chevy Offering Numerous Incentives on 2010 Models

As 2011 models start arriving, GM is offering a number of incentives on outgoing 2010 models, including cash back and good financing deals.

You can get zero-percent financing for 60 months on the Chevrolet Malibu, HHR, Impala, Corvette and Cobalt or up to $3,000 in cash allowances on those models ($4,000 for the HHR). The Chevy Suburban, Tahoe and Traverse all have cash allowances of up to $3,000 and zero-percent financing deals for 60 months.

As far as trucks, both the Silverado and Avalanche have up to a $5,000 cash allowance or zero-percent financing for 72 months. The Colorado has a smaller cash allowance attached of up to $1,500.

Keep in mind these deals represent the best we could dig up from around the country, and they will likely vary at your local dealer. Check our incentives page for more information.

Chevy Offers Big Incentives

GM has some enticing incentives and financing deals on a range of 2010 Chevy models, including some big cash-back offers on the Chevy Aveo, Cobalt, HHR and Silverado. These offers represent the highest cash-back deals we could find nationally, but incentives may vary in your area.

Chevy is offering a $2,500 cash allowance or 3.9% APR financing for up to 60 months on some Aveo models, a $3,000 cash allowance or zero percent financing for 60 months on some Cobalts, and a $4,000 cash allowance or zero percent financing for 60 months on select HHR models. That’s not bad considering the Aveo starts at just under $12,000, the Cobalt is just under $15,000 and the HHR’s price begins at less than $19,000.

The Silverado gets a hefty $5,000 cash incentive or zero percent financing for up to 72 months, and the Suburban has $3,000 cash back or zero percent financing for 60 months.

Finally, GM has also floated some financing deals. The Malibu and Traverse all have offers of zero percent financing for 60 months with an average savings of $3,874 for the Malibu and $5,438 for the Traverse.

A Chevy Aveo LS sedan or hatchback start at $11,965 and $12,115, respectively, so knocking $2,500 off the price is a considerable discount.

The deals run through June 30.

GM Recalling 1.3 Million Cars Over Steering Defects

GM announced today it is recalling 1.3 million cars worldwide for a faulty power-steering system. In the U.S., about 905,000 2005-2010 Chevy Cobalts and 2007-2010 Pontiac G5s are included. The problem is with the power-steering system’s motor, which can make turning the car at speeds below 15 mph harder.

GM says owners will be able to steer the car and that a chime and warning message of “Power Steering” should illuminate. The company says this is more likely to happen as the cars age.

Unfortunately, GM doesn’t have a remedy in place to fix the problem for so many vehicles. It will likely include power steering motors being replaced. GM will contact owners when it has a plan, and we’ll make sure to update our readers when they can get their cars serviced.

Concerned owners can contact GM’s owner center at www.gmownercenter.com or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s vehicle safety hot line at 888-327-4236. 

Recall Alert: 52,937 GM Compact Cars

GM has issued a recall for 52,937 vehicles, including the 2006-2007 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2007 Pontiac G5 and 2006-2007 Saturn Ion, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The recall is for vehicles sold or currently registered in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada and Texas and is due to a plastic supply or return port on the modular reservoir assembly that could crack. If either of these components cracks then fuel will leak, which could cause a fire if it ignites. The fuel leak may be visible depending on the size of the crack.

Dealers will replace the fuel pump module for free. Even if you do not own a vehicle sold or registered in the aforementioned states, check with your dealer all the same. Some vehicles from the same timeframe in other states may be eligible for special warranty coverage.

Owners may contact Chevrolet at 800-630-2438, Saturn at 800-972-8876 and Pontiac at 800-620-7668 or NHTSA’s hotline at 888-327-4236.

2007|Chevrolet|Cobalt

2007|Pontiac|G5

2010|Saturn|Ion

Ford Focus, Volvo C30 Are Top Safety Picks

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has been expanding its crash tests to more and more segments. The very influential tests were recently applied to compact coupes, including the Honda Civic, Scion tC, Volco C30, Ford Focus and Chevy Cobalt. The group as a whole performed well considering the severity of the tests. None rated lower than Acceptable in front or side tests, while the Ford Focus and Volvo C30 scored top marks of Good in front, side and rear tests, earning the Top Safety Pick nod.

While the sedan version of the Civic is a Top Safety Pick, the coupe version earned an Acceptable side crash rating. This illustrates the point that safety ratings for one version of a model can’t be applied to others.

The Scion tC faired the worst, earning Acceptable front and side marks and only a Marginal in rear crash tests. You can see the full chart below, including previously tested sedan versions of the Civic, Focus and Cobalt.

GM Kills High-Performance Trims for 2010

Throughout the day, we’ve been seeing reports surface online of GM killing high-performance trim levels of a few models across its brands. We contacted the company and can now confirm that a number of these stories are indeed true.

The least surprising cancellation is the Pontiac G6 GXP, which will not see a 2010 model year. It sported a slightly more powerful V-6 engine than the G6 GT and a six-speed automatic.

GM's Ugly Yet Simple iPod Solution

While many car companies are quickly adopting USB inputs for iPods and other MP3 players, GM has resisted the change on most of its more affordable models. Yes, you could get a dealer-installed adapter cable, but nothing built-in. Recently, we had a bright yellow Chevy Cobalt XFE in our fleet, and I took it out to run an errand. When Ask.Cars.com editor Joe Bruzek told me it had a USB interface and he liked it, I was skeptical. But I took my 120GB iPod Classic with me and couldn’t believe what I discovered.

The $100 option is ugly.