RSSAll Entries Tagged With: "rebates"

Cash For Clunkers A Gift For Honda and Toyota

When the “Cash for Clunkers” program (a.k.a. CARS) was signed into law 2 months ago, there were a lot of different advantages pitched at the American taxpayer:

  • CARS will help the environment by getting rid of polluting old vehicles
  • CARS will help the economy
  • CARS will help the auto industry
  • CARS will help the domestic automakers earn a profit

While we can’t speak to the environmental, economic, or overall auto industry benefits, we CAN speak to the idea that the CARS program helped domestic automakers: For 3 out of 3 domestic manufacturers, the answer is NO.

cars-benefits-honda-toyota

According to a recent report from IBISWorld, an independent company that analyzes the auto industry, the domestic manufacturers took less than there fair share of the cash for clunkers dollars.

Here’s the data:

Toyota Tundra Cash For Clunkers Notes

As you’ve undoubtedly heard, congress is very close to passing a so-called “cash for clunkers” bill (technically known as “Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act“).

The idea behind this bill is to get older, less fuel-efficient vehicles off the road and replace them with newer cars and/or trucks. The hope is that this bill will 1) Help kick-start auto industry sales and 2) improve the environment by crushing a bunch of older vehicles that are currently polluting.

Little orange truck
Creative Commons License photo credit: k4dordy

While there are a lot of very smart people who dislike this bill – either because it’s not environmentally sound or because it’s not going to work – the fact is that none of this seems to matter. The bill was passed by a healthy majority in the House of Representatives, and most analysts seem to think it will pass in the Senate and be signed into law shortly. So, with that in mind, here’s what you need to know if you’re considering buying a new Toyota Tundra using a Cash For Clunkers voucher: