Ford Bullish on Small Cars

Ford kick-started the SUV revolution with the introduction of the Explorer SUV in the '90s, but the next big opportunity it sees is in small cars. That's according to Ford sales analyst George Pipas, who spoke to a gathering of Chicago-area media recently. Who are the buyers that will drive growth in this segment? Pipas says it’s Millennials, a demographic that wasn't even driving when the Explorer debuted.

It's easy to see why Ford is focused on Millennial buyers, which it counts as those born from 1980-95. Every day about 11,000 Millennials become old enough to drive in the U.S., according to Ford. With 50 percent of first-time buyers choosing small cars, there are sales to be had, Pipas said.

For Millennials, though, small doesn't necessarily mean basic. "[Millennials] want more than an econobox in a small car," he said. "They will give up something else to get what they want on the car."

Snatch Up September Deals Before It's Too Late

August and September were a wild time for the economy. (You’ve heard about the economy, right?) They were also two volatile months for automotive incentives. Rather than offering its typical program, GM generated tons of buzz by using an Employee Pricing Sale, while Chrysler urged you, confusingly, to Shop ‘Til You Drive. Great name.

Those deals are coming to a close, but not before Sept. 30, which means if you’ve still got any money left in your federally insured bank account, now is the time to strike. GM’s deals continue — models like the H3 ($9,000 off) and the Corvette ZO6 ($10,000 off) are especially sexy, but $2,000 off the 2009 Chevy Malibu isn’t so bad either. Meanwhile, Chrysler had problems with its percent-off deals — we still think a cash-back number would have been easier for consumers — but that doesn’t mean you can’t snatch up $9,000 on truck models like the 2008 Dodge Ram.

There are other scattered incentives out there, too. There’s $2,000 available on the 2009 Ford Taurus in certain regions, while Ford trucks have a host of high offers, like $7,000 cash back on the 2008 F-150. Be sure to check out Cars.com’s incentives page for a full list of offers in your area. 

GM Extends Employee Pricing Through September

The big sale that got buyers interested in saving $9,000 on Hummer H3s and $10,000 on a Corvette Z06 is still on. Scheduled to end yesterday, GM has extended its employee pricing sale through the end of September on all 2008 and some 2009 models. 

You can use GM’s special sale website to check the deals in your area and read our previous posts that break down some of the best deals we could find.

GM Brings Back Employee Pricing
Cadillac, Saab’s Employee Pricing Discounts
Chevrolet's Employee Discounts Revealed
Saturn Employee Pricing: Good Prices, No Haggling
Hummer Employee Pricing: Get an H3 for CR-V Prices

Cadillac, Saab's Employee Pricing Discounts

Cadillac and Saab round out our GM employee pricing updates. The high-end nameplates don’t suffer from any lack of significant deals, particularly Cadillac, which sees larger and larger discounts as the model price stretches higher and higher. Conventional wisdom says if you have $100,000 to afford the XLR-V, you probably don’t need the $15,000 off that the employee discount grants … but who’s going to turn down $15,000, right?

The bread and butter for Cadillac, though, is its new CTS sedan, which we really like here at Cars.com. Discounts of roughly 10% should keep it selling well. Nearly $13,000 off an STS-V is also darn alluring to our muscle-car side.

A short list of available discounts is below. Be sure to check GM’s full list at its website, according to your zip code and the trim level you want.

Boss Pricing: 2008 Chevy Corvette Z06 $10,000 Off

During most sales events like GM’s current employee pricing madness — we know, we’re inundating readers with these posts, but we want to make sure shoppers are well-informed — high-performance cars like the Chevy Corvette and its more powerful big brother, the Corvette Z06, aren’t included. Not this time.

The Corvette Z06’s base version, called the 1LZ, starts at $72,125. After the employee pricing discount, it’s $62,653. Yep, that’s almost $10,000 off.

The other two trim levels are discounted slightly more than $10,000. All prices are what’s available in the Chicago area, and your region’s discount may vary. Check GM’s website to see. Also, we called a local Chevy dealer to make sure they were indeed following the employee pricing deal for this model, and we were told they are. We found dozens of 2008 Corvette Z06s in just a search of our area on Cars.com’s new-car inventory page.

Employee pricing ends Sept. 2. And if you want a refresher on the Z06 check out my video from last year below.

Chevrolet's Employee Discounts Revealed

Yesterday, we hoped to figure out just how much GM’s Employee Pricing Sale could save customers, and short of invading dealerships or interrogating GM employees (“Hey, how much is your discount? Answer us!”), we’ve found the answers — on GM’s site.

Chevrolet unsurprisingly has concentrated most of its employee savings on its trucks and SUVs. At the employee-discounted price plus incentives, the Silverado is available for $19,948, which is $8,000 below MSRP. The Avalanche (almost $9,000 less than MSRP) and Suburban (more than $9,000 less than MSRP) are also available with hefty bargains.

If you’re a sports car enthusiast, you’re not left out. The Corvette is included in the sale, and we found more than $6,000 in Cash back on the standard ‘Vette. We’re devoting an entirely separate post to the ridiculous price of a 2008 Corvette Z06.

A substantial list of Chevy’s employee-priced vehicles is below, with expected cost after discounts and incentives. Check Chevrolet’s site for a full list of deals or GM’s site for differing trim levels, other models and to double-check which deals apply in your area.

Saturn Employee Pricing: Good Prices, No Haggling

The No Haggle approach from Saturn has always been a mixed blessing, drawing in folks who don’t want pressure from salesman while turning off shoppers who think they won’t get the best deal. Well, with GM’s new employee pricing program there are some very good deals to be had at Saturn. While the total savings might not “wow” buyers like the ones available on big SUVs and aging models will, remember that Saturn’s entire lineup has been revamped over the past two years. 

While there will be a more fuel-efficient four-cylinder version of the Aura sedan for 2009, the 2008 Aura XR with a V-6 will remain basically unchanged, and it’s seeing almost 18% in total savings. Saturn’s two excellently reviewed — and Cars.com favorites — SUVs, the Outlook and Vue, both have more than 10% in total savings.