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deals of the week

2014 Audi R8

General Motors of Canada has given yet another jolt to Canada's electric vehicle (EV) pricing war, juicing a struggle recently sparked by Nissan Canada's big price reduction of its Leaf EV.

This week GM Canada slashed $5,150 off the price of the Chevrolet Volt. The 2014 model will start at $36,895, versus $42,000 for the 2013 version. This move matches a similar one in the United States taken several weeks ago. Add in taxpayer-funded incentives ranging from $5,000-$8,231 in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia, and the "green" driver can have a new 2014 Volt for less than $29,000, plus fees and taxes.

The Volt is a plug-in hybrid with a battery-only range of 40-80 kilometres, says GM. Range depends on terrain, the driver and the weather. Its gasoline engine extends the range to 615 kilometres, which means the Volt is an EV you can drive without suffering range anxiety.

Deals of the Week noted earlier this month that Nissan Canada has lowered the price of the base 2013 Leaf S to $31,698 from $38,395 in 2012 – plus the company has offered a $1,500 factory incentive, and Ontario taxpayers are throwing in an additional $8,500 rebate (after tax, of course). This brings the strictly electric Leaf to around $22,000 for the savvy buyer, plus fees and taxes.

GM's move to zap Leaf price reductions with similar ones on the Volt not only indicates an EV pricing war, it also points to another August phenomenon: new discounts on 2014 models, not just leftover 2013s sitting on dealer lots.

Take the Audi R8 super car, which is surely the antithesis of the Volt and Leaf. The 2014 R8, with a very slick seven-speed dual clutch automatic transmission, lists for $145,500, but Audi Canada has discounts of up to $11,500 in place. They can be combined with whatever dealer discount is on offer (perhaps $5,500) and 3.9 per cent financing for five years or a 4.9 per cent lease rate for 24 months.

And unlike the Volt and the Leaf, taxpayers won't be giving a charge to the R8 buyer. The opposite, in fact. If you buy a 2014 R8 you'll pay an extra $3,000 Green Levy in Ontario, plus nearly $19,000 in HST. Let's just revisit the numbers: taxpayers subsidize Leaf and Volt buyers to the tune of $8,000-plus in Ontario, while R8 buyers pay about $22,000 in taxes, including a $3,000 bill for roaring around in a beautiful two-seat gas guzzler.

Deals of the Week also noticed a $3,000 rebate in play on the 2014 Chevrolet Traverse crossover wagon. The Traverse received a tidy update for the 2013 model year, so this family rig is modern and useful.

Another extremely functional family vehicle is the 2014 Rondo. Yes, the all-new 2014 Rondo has a $1,750 rebate that can be combined with 3.49 per cent financing for up to 60 months. The 2014 Rondo is vastly superior to the previous 2013, without a doubt.

Ford of Canada, of course, is pushing its Employee Pricing program and it includes discounts on the 2014 Mustang GT. The right buyer is looking at discounts approaching $8,000 on the GT Coupe – and they can be combined with 5.49 per cent financing for up to 60 months Deals of the Week consulted with unhaggle.com, carcostcanada.com and other sources on these offers. As usual, pricing information here is subject to change and dealer discounts vary, so consult your dealer for all the final details, including expiry dates for all offers.

2014 Audi R8 2 door Coupe (Auto V8)

  • MSRP: $145,500
  • Freight, dealer prep, air conditioning tax, Green Levy: $5,895
  • Dealer discount (estimated): $5,500
  • Factory discount: $10,000 (Stackable Cash factory-to-dealer incentive)
  • Factory discount: $1,500 (Audi A3 Trade-in Allowance factory-to-dealer incentive)
  • • Taxable subtotal: $134,395
  • • Total price with 13% HST: $151,866.35
  • • Can be combined with 3.9% financing for five years or 4.9% lease rate for 24 months

2013 Chevrolet Traverse LTZ General Motors General Motors

2014 Chevrolet Traverse LS AWD (4 door)

  • MSRP: $36,295
  • Freight, dealer prep and air conditioning tax: $1,800
  • Dealer discount: $1,250
  • Factory discount: $3,000 (GM Non-stackable Delivery Allowance factory-to-dealer rebate)
  • Taxable subtotal: $33,845
  • Total price with 13 per cent HST: $38,244.85

2014 Kia Rondo Kia Kia  

2014 Kia Rondo L 4 Wagon (Auto, 4 door)

  • MSRP: $23,995
  • Freight, dealer prep, AC tax: $1,795
  • Dealer discount (estimated): $700
  • Factory discount: $1,750 (Kia Prime Rate Credit/Kia Trading Dollars factory-to-dealer rebate)
  • Taxable subtotal: $23,340
  • Total price with 13 per cent HST: $26,374.20
  • For cash purchases or can be combined with 3.49 per cent financing for up to 60 months

2014 Ford Mustang G (2 door coupe)

  • MSRP: $40,099
  • Freight, PDI, AC tax: $1,650
  • Dealer discount (estimated): $750
  • Factory discount: $3,500 (Ford Delivery Allowance factory-to-dealer rebate)
  • Factory discount: $3,787 (Ford Employee Pricing discount)
  • Taxable subtotal: $33,712
  • Total price with 13 per cent HST: $38,094.56
  • Can be combined with 5.49 per cent financing for up to 60 months

Pricing information source : www.unhaggle.com and www.carcostcanada.com. Calculations based on Ontario customers. Please note that while the information above is accurate at the time of publication, incentives are given at the discretion of individual dealers, and may be changed or discontinued at any time. Where noted, "dealer discounts" are negotiated with the customer on a case-by-case basis. Unhaggle Savings are actual discounts received by Unhaggle customers.

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