ChryCo Bailout Supported Discounts Exposed!
You can get a $31,405 Dodge Ram pickup for $17,975 in Denver, much to the delight of Chrysler dealers who are using some significant incentives to get people into showrooms. Chrysler LLC is spending big ? to the tune of more than $5,600 on average per vehicle in incentives ? to reverse its fortunes after months of dramatic sales drops. But the sales strategy is raising some eyebrows as the Auburn Hills automaker has received $4 billion in federal aid and is presenting a case for more help leading up to the March 31 deadline to show its operations are sustainable and its loans can be repaid.
To her credit, DetN scribe Alisa Priddle lays out?though doesn?t highlight?GM?s participation in this Madoff-like scam.
In February, Chrysler spent an average of $5,608 per vehicle on incentives, according to Edmunds.com. That compares with $3,681 from General Motors Corp.; $3,384 at Ford Motor Co.; $2,572 at Nissan Motor Co.; $1,682 at Toyota Motor Corp.; and $1,249 from Honda Motor Co.
Chrysler?s defense: the discounts were planned a long time ago, and it?s different money. But hey, if that is horseshit, who cares?
Using federal money to stimulate demand is a ?way of priming the pump,? said Sheldon Sandler, chief executive officer of Bel Air Partners in Skillman, N.J., which provides financial services to dealers. ?It may be unfair, but I?d rather see them use cash to support incentives and make cars affordable than use the cash to support legacy costs that won?t stimulate demand.?
?It?s better to sell cars and lose a little money than have them sit on the lot and not make any,? Sandler said. That?s because it is inventory that the dealer has already paid for.
Welcome to Bailout Nation, where automakers use your tax money to sell a car people wouldn?t otherwise buy at a discount?after taking their cut.