VW to Give $1,500 for College With New Routan Minivan

We’ve seen some innovative incentive offers before. Recently, car companies have jumped on the exploding gas-price craze, offering to help pay for fuel. Well, college costs are growing rapidly, too, which is why VW is targeting families with an incentive to save for future education funding.

With every sale of a new Routan minivan, VW will pay $1,500 into a UPromise account supplied by the buyer. The college-saving website then allows users to put the money into a 529 plan.

It’s not a bad idea, especially to tout a new model hitting the market for the first time, but VW says the Routan won’t hit dealerships until September. That’s a long time to wait after generating buzz with this college-cash announcement. The Routan is based on Chrysler’s Town & Country minivan and will have a starting price of $24,700. 

More VW Routan News

Chrysler, GM Struggle to Manage Truck Incentives

By now, the slumping economy is no secret, and neither are gas prices. Separately, each "crisis" would be bad enough; together they create a hugely damaging environment for a traditionally popular automotive segment, trucks.

A cursory look at truck incentives (or the Cars.com Top 10 list, where five of the entries are trucks) reinforces that point. Trucks almost always offer the highest incentives, but rarely are those incentives this high; select California Dodge dealers are offering up to $13,000 off the MSRP of popular trucks in an effort to get huge backloads off the lot. The clock is ticking, too, because those 2008s need to move before the redesigned 2009s come in.

In the meantime, GM dealers are clamoring for more incentives to sell their load of trucks, but the Detroit automaker seems a little less willing to take Chrysler's must-sell-now approach.

The question remains: Would you buy a truck in this climate? How much cash back would it take? Or are you going to wait for the new designs?

Best Cash-Back Finds: 4.25.08

Cars.com launched its new, comprehensive rebate and incentives page earlier this month, but just having the raw figures isn’t always enough. Often there are some real gems getting a significant amount of money off that aren’t heavily advertised or thought about. This time out we’ve found some interesting deals on a pair of luxury nameplates, a brand-new model and a fuel-sipping compact. 

2009 Dodge Journey
MSRP: $19,360
Cash back: $1,000
Percent off MSRP: 5.2%    
Expires: 4/30
5-Year Ownership Costs

The new Dodge Journey was just released, and Dodge is hoping that by offering a small incentive, $1,000, folks will be more inclined to give it a shot. That’s because the Journey competes with the popular Ford Edge and Hyundai Santa Fe when equipped with two rows of seats, or the Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander when equipped with the optional third row. Still, the Journey’s starting MSRP is significantly less than the competition, even before the $1,000 cash back.

Hummer, Cadillac, Saab's April Offers Uninspiring

Incentives are rarely surprising. They’re usually relatively consistent from month-to-month, with a few exceptions (this month’s crazy deluge of Ford and Chrysler deals falling squarely under that umbrella). So it goes with Hummer, Cadillac and Saab in April.

Neither Hummer’s nor Cadillac’s incentives manage to make their models’ high prices more enticing: the H2 has $2,000 available and the H3 offers $3,000, but with the starting MSRP for the H2 hovering above $50,000, anyone buying a Hummer probably doesn’t badly need a couple thousand off. (Then again, a couple extra thousand dollars never hurts.) The H3 was a big hit for Hummer just a year ago, but has seen sales slump a bit, leading to the relatively high cash-back here.

The Cadillac DTS has $3,000 cash back off a starting MSRP of around $46,000. Saab has seen surprising interest of late in its 9-3 sedan and 9-7X SUV and has yet to provide a deal on 2008 models beyond 5.9% financing for 36 months. All incentives expire April 30.

All Manufacturer Incentives (Cars.com)
More Incentives News (KickingTires)

New Chevy Malibu Gets Conquest Cash

Do you, or does anyone in your household, own or lease a 1999 or newer non-GM car or light-duty truck? Yeah? Then you’re eligible for a $1,000 incentive on the newly redesigned 2008 Chevy Malibu. This is what those in the biz call “Conquest Cash,” because the company hopes to woo drivers who own one of the competition’s cars.

This unknown (but certainly large) base of eligible shoppers has until May 21 to take advantage of this offer. Unlike similar offers, you don’t even have to trade in a vehicle to get the $1,000, nor do you have to be the person in the household whose name is on the title of the non-GM vehicle.

The only group of folks who really can’t take advantage of this offer are … well, loyal GM owners. Don’t be worried, GM loyalists, because GM is offering $1,000 off the cost of a Malibu (and a slew of other vehicles) for any owner of a 1999 or newer GM. There are currently no other cash back incentives on the Malibu. The other vehicles included in the loyalty offer can be found below.

Some Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep Incentives Beat Employee Deals

We’ve been covering the rollout of April incentives this week, and so far the deals coming from Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep are the most jaw-dropping. The weak economy and double-digit sales slump in March spurred major incentive spending from Ford, while GM has kept incentives about even for the past few months. Chrysler, however, has incentives so large that, in some regions, they even beat the radical employee discount sale from the summer of 2006.

Not surprisingly, the biggest numbers are on large trucks and SUVs, with the Dodge Ram half-ton sporting a $5,500 cash-back offer. The Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen have $2,500-$3,000 cash back, while the Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee have between $3,500 and $4,000 cash back. Those prices don’t quite match the 2006 employee pricing deals of $6,000 in some cases, but they’re nothing to sneeze at.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive car, though, there is significant savings on the company’s lowest-priced models. The Chrysler PT Cruiser is seeing between $1,500 and $3,000 cash back, dropping the MSRP of $15,685 to $12,685 or 19% off. At the height of employee pricing, the PT saw just $1,084 off.

What’s that you say? The PT is an aging model? What about something newer, like the Dodge Caliber? That’s getting $1,000-$2,000 off, with added regional cash back of $1,000 in some areas. That drops MSRP from $14,580 to $11,580 or about 21% off.

Our ultimate pick, though, would have to be the Dodge Magnum, which is being discontinued. It’s still a lot of car for the money, especially with some regions seeing total cash back of $4,000, with $2,000 in additional regional cash-back. That drops the $24,120 MSRP to $18,120 or almost 25% off. 

There are a lot more cash-back offers on these brand’s entire lineups, broken down below, along with the fine print.

Buick, Pontiac, GMC Unveil April Deals

We told you about Chevrolet’s new incentives Tuesday, but there are also new deals available for 2008 Buick, Pontiac and GMC models. However, most aren’t as much as competitors are offering right now.

GMC trucks typically have some of the higher incentive offers available, and this month is no different. The automaker is offering between $2,000 and $3,250 on its 2008 GMC Sierra trucks (the specific deals vary based on trim level and features). GMC is also offering $2,000 on its Envoy and Yukon SUVs, and each model gets at least 2.9% financing for up to 36 months.

Pontiac’s and Buick’s deals are less exciting. Buick is offering 2.9% financing or $1,000 cash back on the Lacrosse and 2.9% or $1,500 on the Lucerne. Pontiac has similar offers on the Grand Prix and G6: 2.9% financing for both, or $2,000 cash back on the Grand Prix and $1,500 back on the G6. All the offers expire April 30.

Ford Incentives Up, Include Specialty Models

April has begun, and Ford has updated its incentives for the rest of the month. There are some very interesting deals to be had. We’ll break down all the models soon enough, but the most interesting tidbit of information for car enthusiasts is that both the Ford Mustang Bullitt and the upcoming Ford F-150 Chip Foose Edition are getting cash back just like their plain-jane brethren. 

The 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt is already on sale, and the Bullitt package costs an additional $3,310 on top of the cost of a regular Ford Mustang GT. Rebates range from $1,000 to $1,500, with an additional $1,000 offered in some regions if you go with Ford Credit to purchase the vehicle.*

Depending on where you live, that means you could pay just a $810 premium to have the special edition, which adds horsepower and suspension tweaks.

The 2008 Ford F-150 Chip Foose Edition isn’t on sale yet, but the roughly $55,000 sport truck will come to market over the next few months with between $3,000 and $3,500 cash back (plus that potential $1,000 in financing cash) on the intricately detailed hood.

Other rebates are more pedestrian, but still noteworthy:

Chevrolet Offers Cash Back on 2008 Impala, Avalanche

It’s a new month, and new April incentives are gradually rolling out. GM’s the first to post, and thus far the deals are slightly underwhelming.

Chevy is offering $1,500 cash back on its Impala sedan, a perennial best-seller despite its otherwise bland personality. The carmaker is also giving back $2,000 on the 2008 Avalanche, which Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays lauded in his review when the truck first hit the scene. Both cars also have 36-month, 2.9% financing offers.

Chevy is continuing its usual high-dollar truck incentives in April, offering between $1,500 and $3,250 cash back on its various Silverado trucks. Incentives expire April 30.

All-New Dodge Journey Gets Cash-Back Offer

Releasing incentives on a brand-new model could be considered an admission of market failure. No automaker wants to do it, but sometimes it makes sense to help spur sales. A quick glance at Dodge's incentives page reveals the ugly truth: It's kicked off the 2009 incentive season with $1,000 cash back on the Journey, its first three-row crossover.

This is usually the time when we'd mock an automaker for producing a dud, thus forcing itself to roll out incentives on a 2009 model in March 2008, but perhaps some of the blame belongs to the down economy. We’ve seen cash back on brand-new models before, but it never makes the automaker look good.

Dodge Incentives (Cars.com)
Dodge Journey Rockets to First in Incentives (Jalopnik)

Subaru Closes Month With Small Tent Sale

Usually when end-of-month incentives sales are announced, they come with some pretty inflated rhetoric: The Year-End Event, The Tent Sale to End All Others, The Event of  a Lifetime (that’s our favorite), and so on. The hyperbole can get a little tiring.

Kudos to Subaru for avoiding that, calling its modest, 10-day incentives boost what it really is: kind of small or at least short. The Small Tent Big Event begins today, and until March 31 Subaru will offers customers 0.0% financing plus $1,500 cash back on the 2008 Outback, or 0.0% and $2,000 back on the outgoing 2008 Forester. Customers can also get 0.0% financing on a lease deal ($179 a month for 36 months) on the 2008 Impreza. The financing teamed with cash back is impressive, especially on these two models. The Forester is a Cars.com Best Bet and the Outback was our 2008 pick as Best Car for Weekend Athletes.

Subaru Small Tent Event (Subaru.com)

Best Cash-Back Finds: 2.15.08

President’s Day is Monday and you’ve probably seen a lot of commercials about big car sales. Automakers had a pretty dismal January for car sales across the board and they’re looking to pick things up in February. Besides our full list of incentives you can find here, many are offering short-term incentives for just the weekend. Here are some of the best we’ve found in terms of quality, safety and value. Yes, there are three minivans.

2008 Kia Sedona

MSRP: $20,695
Cash back: $1,500
Percent off MSRP: 7.2%   
Expires: 3/3/08
5-Year Ownership Costs

Kia’s minivan has been an underachiever for some time, but still is one of only three minivans to earn the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick award. The interior isn’t the best in the class but the base price and long warranty are mighty alluring. Add up to $1,500 cash back depending on where you live and the Sedona seems mighty sensible.

Presidential Cash Back from GM

GM has been steady, if not spectacular, in doling out cash back incentives offers over the last six months. Those incentives are getting a sudden spike this week, according to Bloomberg News: The automaker is offering an additional $1,000 cash back on 15 models in an attempt to further boost sales in the typically difficult winter climate.

The promotion includes the 2008 Saturn Vue and Aura, bumping those vehicles’ offers to $2,500. Also receiving rebates, according to Bloomberg, are Buick Lucerne, Chevrolet Silverado, Pontiac G5, and 2007 Corvettes.

The sales are timed to coincide with Presidents’ Day, and if there’s a better way to honor American history than buying a Buick Lucerne or a Chevy Silverado, we’ve yet to hear of it.

For a full list of incentives, check out Cars.com’s Incentives Page and Top 10 Rebates list.

Ford to Buck its Own Trend, Raise Incentives

At a meeting earlier this month, Ford told many of its dealers that it would raise incentives to help move key vehicles in certain markets. The company wants to keep demand strong for vehicles like its iconic F-150 — even while a redesigned model is coming in the fall — and in so doing hold onto its declining market share. Ford’s market share has been shrinking steadily over the past decade and now stands at around 15.8%.

This goes against Ford’s own business plan as of late, which has been to focus on becoming a more profitable automobile manufacturer even if that means fewer incentives. This January, Ford spent $3,182 per unit in incentives, which is down $659 from a year ago.

All the same, with these new incentives in play, it probably wouldn’t hurt prospective car-buyers to take a look at their local Ford dealer. We’ll keep track of the new deals when they’re announced.

Ford Plans to Pump Up Incentives (Detroit News)

Best Cash-Back Finds: 01.25.08

Ford, Lincoln and Mercury are dolling out pretty darn good deals through the end of February, and we had to be selective about which ones we picked for this round of our top finds. We could have gone with the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner with decent cash back, or numerous SUVs, but we went a different way. We also added one fun-to-drive model that’s surprisingly still in decent supply. For a complete list check out Cars.com's Incentives page.

2008 Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable

MSRP: $23,485/$23,780
Cash back: $2,000
Percent off MSRP: 8.4-8.5%   
Expires: 2/29/08
5-Year Ownership Costs

Just this week, Ford’s CEO said the company is going to redesign the Taurus completely for 2009. That kind of move would usually have us telling folks to wait and see, but the Taurus and Sable were just updated this year, and we just spent a week in the new Sable and found it to be a great daily driver. The new Premier trim had a pretty nice interior, too. Both also look much better in person and offer a ton of space in the second row and trunk.

GM Continues Year-End Incentives

There's plenty of hype about year-end sales deals, and it's easy for deals to get lost in the shuffle. The Event of a Lifetime? Sounds a bit dramatic. Red Tag Sales Event? Better get shopping — those tags are red! For some, they’re just another unwelcome level of anxiety around the holidays — a mad rush to make cars fly out dealership doors before the year's over. But do they pay dividends?

For the consumer, at least in GM's case, the answer is no. Despite fussing over its December Red Tag Sales Event, the manufacturer is keeping offers going through March 3. Many of those offers — especially on 2007 models — are nearly identical to last month's deals, meaning consumers who sat things out in December have an extra couple of months to breathe deeply before buying.

Check out all of GM's deals — like $2,750 off a 2007 Saturn Vue, or 0.0% financing on a 2007 GMC Acadia — on Cars.com's Incentives page.

Best Cash-Back Finds: 12.27.07

Many year-end incentives end on January 2 so we thought it would be a good time to sift through the deals and see what models are actually worth your hard-earned cash-back dollars. For a list of all incentives, click here.

2008 Saturn Vue

• MSRP: $21,250
• Cash back: $2,000
• Percent off MSRP: 9.4%
• Expires: 1/2/08
• 5-Year Ownership Costs
• Cars.com Best New Car for Small Families

The redesigned Saturn Vue is a favorite at the Cars.com offices. It recently won our small SUV faceoff against the Nissan Rogue and Toyota RAV4 and has a relatively upscale interior. It also scored nearly perfect on IIHS crash tests — an airbag redesign will have future Vue’s in fact perfect. The one main fault with the Vue is the seemingly high MSRP on certain trim levels. With $2,000 off that — including the sporty Red Line trim — this is a great deal.

Best Cash-Back Finds: 12.07.07

Sifting through sales, incentives and various offers from car companies can be almost a full-time job for shoppers — and it is a full-time gig for some Cars.com staffers. We maintain a list of the Top 10 Cash-Back Offers here and a list of every available incentive here to help thrifty car shoppers. 

However, those charts aren’t helpful if you’re not sure about the cars on them. Is it OK to get the 2007 with a rebate and not the 2008? Could a car with a $4,000 cash-back offer be any good? The editors at Cars.com look at all the incentives and let you know which vehicles they recommend. These cars may not have the biggest rebates thrown on the hood, but our recommendations take into account our experiences driving the cars, along with some other factors, including safety and ownership costs. 

2007 Ford Edge

• MSRP: $25,320
• Cash back: $2,500
• Percent off MSRP: 9.87%
• Expires: 1/2/08
• 5-Year Ownership Costs
• Why it makes the cut: This is a classic example of a model where not much has changed for the new model year, besides the availability of that cool Sync feature we recently tested. If you don’t care about that, there are plenty of 2007 Edges left on dealer lots. The SUV has a lot of style and a healthy V-6 engine standard along with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's Top Safety Pick award. We’re not big fans of the interior fit and finish, but there’s a lot of utility here for the money.

GM Red Tag Sale Returns

It's the most wonderful time of the year — the time when consumers brave long lines and early-morning frost, all in the name of discount holiday gifts.

GM is hoping that festive consumerist spirit extends to its vehicles. The automaker just released details of its annual Red Tag Sales Event, which comes bearing gifts of increased cash-back and financing incentives on a variety of models. The offers range from 0.0% financing for 60 months on all 2007 GMC and Chevrolet models — including the popular GMC Acadia — to hefty cash-back bonuses perfect for shoppers looking to save some extra holiday cash right away. To lock in 0.0% financing on a 2007 Chevy HHR or save $2,000 on a 2007 Saturn Aura Hybrid, buyers will have to get to dealers before the sale expires Jan. 2. 

To locate GM's offers in your area, search the Red Tag Sales Event site here, or check out Cars.com's full list of national offers for all of GM's and other brands' latest incentives.

Incentives: Goodbye 2006, Hello 2008

As the leaves are changing and various other summer-to-fall metaphors become applicable, so too are manufacturers gradually phasing out new-car incentives. Lest you lament the loss of savings, take solace in knowing those old 2006 incentives have been replaced by new-and-improved 2008 offers by most manufacturers. 

GM, Ford, and Chrysler, among others, have all increased the width and depth of their 2008 incentives, from $2,500 off the 2008 GMC Envoy to $3,000 off the 2008 Ford F-250 and 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Manufacturers are also offering a variety of financing offers, like the 0.0% rate available on nearly every 2008 Ford.

Most incentives are available until Oct. 31. Check Cars.com's Incentives page for a full list of new cash-back and financing offers on both 2008 and 2007 models.

GM Extends Financing for 2006 Models

GM has beefed up its incentives programs, extending 0.0 APR financing offers on most models in its family — including Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick, Hummer, Pontiac, Saturn and Saab — to 60 months. The bad news is that the zero-percent-for-60-months-on-every-model offer only applies to 2006 models, which are often hard to find. On many of those models, GM has added an additional $1,000 cash bonus to those financing offers.

Customers also have the option of bigger cash rebates without the financing deal. Cash back ranges from $500 all the way up to the 2006 Cadllac STS’ ever-generous $9,000 offer. All offers expire Oct. 1.

For a complete rundown of GM and other manufacturer incentives, see Cars.com’s incentives page. You can search new car inventory, including new 2006 models, on Cars.com here.

Chrysler Offers 0% Financing for Six Years on Some 2007s

For those out there with really good credit and a taste for large SUVs, now might be just the right time to buy a new Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep. On certain 2007 models, qualifying buyers can opt to take 0% financing for 72 months instead of heavy cash incentives of up to $4,500. Vehicles included in the sale are the 2007 Chrysler Aspen, Town & Country (long wheelbase), Dodge Dakota, Dodge Durango and Jeep Commander. The deals run through Oct. 1.

Incentives: Rebates & Financing Offers (Cars.com)

Chrysler Adds More Cash Back in July

Chrysler Group incentives — especially on the Dodge Ram 1500 regular cab — are already among the highest the summer has to offer, but that hasn't stopped the manufacturer from rolling out some additional cash-back offers for the rest of July.

Most Dodge, Jeep and Chrysler models have received a cash-back offer in tandem with current financing offers, allowing customers to choose low-rate financing plans with a new cash bonus. For example, those interested in the Dodge Durango now have the option of $4,500 cash back, or 0% financing for 60 months plus $1,000 cash back. All offers expire July 31.

Check out the full incentives for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and other manufacturers at Cars.com's Incentives page.

GM Follows Ford: Extends Incentives

Yesterday, Ford extended its Fourth of July incentives through the end of August. Today comes word that General Motors will extend its current incentive offers until the end of July, so expect those "Transformers" commercials to stick around for a few more weeks at least.

The main incentive remains an additional $1,000 cash back on top of existing offers, or 0% financing for 36 months.  There's also a new offer to beef up that cash-back number to $2,000 on 2007 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups to counter Toyota’s current incentives on its new Tundra.

GM Hikes Incentives Amid Pickup Battle (Mlive.com)

Related
GM Promotes Sale with Transformers - Full list of eligible vehicles (KickingTires)

Ford Extends Incentives

Ford’s Fourth of July incentives will stretch long into summer. Every 2007 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury car will continue to have 0% financing for 36 months available. Trucks and SUVs will get an additional $2,007 cash rebate on top of the financing except for the Ford Edge, Freestyle and E-Series van and the Lincoln MKX. Both offers now run through Aug. 31.

Did anyone buy a new Ford during the Fourth of July week?

Source: Automotive News

Related
Current Rebates and Incentives (Cars.com)
Ford Breaks Out 0% Financing on All Models (KickingTires)

Ford Breaks Out 0% Financing on All Models

Independence Day is usually a big time for car sales, but so far this summer nothing like the huge discounts of summers past had been announced. It’s not huge, but Ford will be offering 0% financing for 36 months on every 2007 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury model through July 9. Most SUVs and trucks will get an additional $2,007 cash rebate on top of the financing. The cash back excludes the Ford Edge, Mercury MKX, Ford Freestyle and Ford E-Series vans.

You’ll start seeing ads for the sale soon on TV. Let us know if you’re a car shopper who routinely waits for sales like this before pulling the trigger on a planned car purchase.

Source: Automotive News 

GM Promotes Sale With Transformers

There are movie tie-ins and then there are movie tie-ins. Starting today and running through July 9, General Motors is advertising a “Transform Your Ride” sale on select models. The sale is tied in with “The Transformers,” which opens July 3. Buyers can get 0% financing for 36 months — if they qualify — or $1,000 cash back. These deals are in addition to current offers which can be found on Cars.com's Incentives page. 

As sales go, this isn’t even close to the huge discounts of summers past, but the TV commercials are promised to be high-definition with 5.1 surround sound and will include images of robots from the movie, many of which transform into GM vehicles. A list of eligible cars can be found below, but we’re more intrigued by the movie than this sale.

GM Offers Incentives for Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend is usually a time when automakers offer sales, specials and incentives on new cars. So far, except for the GM brigade, we haven’t seen many flashy advertisements on automakers’ consumer sites. General Motors is offering zero-percent APR financing combined with $1,000 cash back on select models, listed below, until May 31. Read the fine print, however, as these kind of incentives typically require a qualified buyer, limited financing terms and sometimes a down payment of up to 15 percent.

Buick
2006 and 2007 LaCrosse and Lucerne

Chevrolet
2006 and 2007 Cobalt, Malibu, Impala, Suburban and Tahoe; 2007 Silverado

GMC
2007 Sierra; 2006 and 2007 Yukon

Pontiac
2006 and 2007 G5, G6 and Torrent

Saturn
2007 Ion, Vue and Relay

Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra Get Incentives

Don’t get overly excited, but General Motors is offering minimal incentives on certain trim levels of the all-new 2007 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra “in response to competitive incentive offerings in the marketplace.” That’s a GM spokesman basically saying: If the Toyota Tundra has incentives, we’ll match ‘em.

Starting Friday and running through July 9, there will be between $1,250 and $1,500 cash back or 0% financing for 36 months on the two trucks. Reduced-rate financing for 60 months will also be offered. We’re not sure if the deal will actually change anyone’s mind about buying either a GM truck or a Toyota truck, but at least it will make the GM buyer feel like they’re not losing out to their Tundra-driving neighbors.

General Motors Sweetens Truck Deals With Cash Back or Zero-Percent Financing (Detroit News)

Buick Enclave Incentive for Luxury Owners

When the Buick Enclave arrives at dealerships sometime in the near future — some dealers will see them by the end of the month, with full supplies expected in early July — there will be an incentive for owners of competing vehicles. Drivers who go from a luxury vehicle like the Lexus RX 350 — exact competing models involved in the promotion have not been announced — to the new Buick Enclave will get $1,000 cash back in what is called a “conquest cash incentive.”

Buick spokesman David Darovitz says there are already more early orders for the Enclave than the company can produce, so there’s no reason for it to offer a wider rebate, as was reported elsewhere on the web earlier this week.   

Related:
Buick Enclave Pricing Announced
2006 L.A. Auto Show: Buick Enclave

GM Rolls Out March Incentives

Starting today, March 15, and running through April 3, GM is offering 0% financing and $1,000 cash back on a number of new 2006-’07 Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick, GMC and Saturn cars, including the new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size pickups.

The 0% financing is for 36 months with 2.9% for 48 months and 4.9% for 60 months to qualified buyers.

The two-week deal is to spur sales for the rest of March and includes some interesting new models, besides the trucks. GM dubs the deals the “Spring Sales Event” or “Upgrade Event,” depending on the brand. Keep reading for a list of models.

Toyota Offering $1,500 Rebate on All-New Tundra

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Toyota dealers are offering as much as $1,500 cash back on the base model of the all-new Tundra full-size pickup throughout the month. Before “the sky is falling” comments start flooding in, let us say that the base model, single-cab truck is not the most popular Tundra. Dealers have reported the more-expensive double cabs are selling well. Toyota representatives did tell the Journal that the company is concerned it may miss its initial sales goal of 200,000 for the Tundra this year.

The fine print: Toyota dealers in the Southeast — Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina — are offering the full $1,500 cash back. Other regional stores are offering anywhere from $250 - $1,000.

[Toyota Dealers Offer Discount On Newly Redesigned Tundra, Wall Street Journal]

Ford, Chrysler Get New Rebates, Ad Campaigns

Ford is using a new ad campaign to promote its latest round of incentives, but instead of glorifying the vehicle, it’s trying to sell the company’s new “reality” route. Ford hired Mike Rowe of the Discovery Channel reality show “Dirty Jobs” — in which Rowe takes on a different arduous and, yes, dirty task each episode — for its new “Ford Challenge” ads showing off the F-150. The incentive is $3,000 cash back or 0% financing for 60 months on all 2007 F-150s, minus the Harley-Davidson edition.

Chrysler, on the other hand, is using options as incentives. As we mentioned before, the company is offering a free upgrade to a Hemi engine in the Dodge Ram pickup and Durango SUV, in addition to $5,000 cash back on the Ram and $2,500 on the Durango, according to Dodge. Jeep Grand Cherokees get $3,500 cash back but no free Hemi upgrade.

Check out all available incentives here. 

[Chrysler, Ford Roll Out New Rebates, The Detroit News]

Related:
Dodge Offers $500 Cash Back on All-New Avenger
New Chrysler Incentive: Free Hemi Engines and DVD Systems

Dodge Offers $500 Cash Back on All-New Avenger

Evidence of an increasingly common trend, Dodge is offering a small incentive, $500 cash back, on the brand-new Avenger midsize sedan. The Avenger went on sale last month and is already selling well, despite the fact that national advertising hasn’t begun. Ford and Mazda recently offered similar incentives on new models that also looked to be popular. Usually, incentives are used to move unpopular or slow-selling models off the lots.

The incentive is good through April 2 and is available on all Avenger trims.

Related:
Hot Deals: New Mazda CX-9, Ford Edge Get Incentives

GM Sale Continues, Includes Saturn Vue Hybrid

If you thought the Presidents Day sales all ended on Monday — you know, President’s Day — then you’re wrong. GM is extending 0% financing and $500 cash-back deals on certain vehicles until Feb. 28. The company is also including the 2007 Saturn Vue Green Line hybrid SUV in the sale.

All Saturns, including the new Aura sedan and Outlook crossover, are also included in the sale, as are most 2007 models of other GM brands, including Chevrolet, Buick and Pontiac.

['Positive Response' Prompts GM to Extend Incentive Campaign, The Detroit News]

Hot Deals: New Mazda CX-9, Ford Edge Get Incentives

Most people think of incentives as a way for dealers to get unpopular cars off their lots. Now, automakers are trying to get brand-new models into early adopters’ hands using some attractive financing offers and bonus cash.

The Mazda CX-9 is a large crossover that seats seven yet looks like a sporty SUV. It starts at $29,035 and easily goes up to $40,000 with options. Mazda is offering a lease deal for 39 months with $2,000 down and payments of $349.

Ford will begin offering $500 on the base, SE trim level of the new Ford Edge crossover, even though the vehicle is seeing brisk sales.

[Crossing Over to CX-9, Autoweek — Ford Offers First Rebates on New Edge Crossover, The Detroit News]

Related:
2007 Mazda CX-9 Cars.com Review
2007 Ford Edge Cars.com Review

GM's Latest Incentives

General Motors has been working hard to reduce the amount of incentives on its vehicles in order to raise resale and residual values. Today we learn that because of slow January sales, incentives are coming back to some areas.

In the Midwest and Northeast there will be $500 cash back on almost all GM cars and trucks. This excludes “hot” cars like: Pontiac Solstice, Saturn Sky, Chevy Corvette Z06, Saturn Vue Hybrid, medium-duty trucks and all Hummers, Cadillac and Saabs.

The rest of the country gets 0% financing for 36 months on most 2006-2007 cars and trucks. There will 0% for 60 months will also be offered on the following vehicles: Chevy Malibu, Saturn Vue, Buick Lucerne and Pontiac Grand Prix. The same list of excluded vehicles also applies to the financing offers.

[GM Adds Deals After Weak January, The Detroit News]

New Chrysler Incentive: Free Hemi Engines and DVD Systems

If you’re looking to buy a new Chrysler, Dodge or Jeep truck, wait until March, when DaimlerChrysler will start a new marketing campaign that will offer an upgrade to its popular Hemi V-8 engine at no additional cost. The standard price of the Hemi is $1,700.

Are you more of a family man with no need for the extra horsepower and gas-guzzling of a V-8 engine? Then wait until April when Chrysler will put a free $1,000 DVD entertainment system into every minivan it sells.

There will also be additional cash back and low interest-rate offers introduced later this month on the automaker’s minivans, Dodge Ram pickup, Chrysler 300C and Dodge Charger.

[Chrysler Throws In Free Hemi, The Detroit News]

Year-End Maserati Incentives

Holiday sales and incentives are usually meant to clear out excess year-end inventory and make way for next year’s models. However, we rarely — and we mean rarely — see an exotic manufacturer offer such deals. Yet here we are, reporting that Maserati will offer special financing on remaining 2006 Quattroporte sport sedans. Or as you may know it, the car from “Entourage.”

You can now finance a 2006 Quattroporte — which starts at $103,700 — for 1.9% over 60 months or 2.9% over 72 months. Compared to the average car-loan rate of 6.96%, that saves you close to $15,000 over the course of the loan.

These are still Maseratis, though, and dealers don’t have fleets of them on their lots. Many dealers might not have any, while others will have only a few on hand; that’s just the volume these specialized shops work in. Interested buyers have to hurry: The deal ends Dec. 31.

In 2007, the Quattroporte will get a new automatic transmission that reportedly is a significant upgrade for the non-sporting enthusiast, but we won’t know more about its performance credentials until the 2007 debuts in Detroit next month.