Deals of the Week: Auto show specials

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We'll call this the auto show edition of Deals of the Week. Why? The show floors of next week's Canadian International Auto Show in Toronto and this week's Chicago auto show hold clues to offers worth $9,000.

Take the GMC Acadia. This week in Chicago, GMC showed a significantly updated version of this large crossover wagon. The 2013 Acadia will have LED running lamps, wraparound rear glass and a rear spoiler, all-new. The 3.6-litre V-6 engine stays the same, but it will be paired with a new-generation Hydra-Matic six-speed automatic transmission. GM says it will deliver better shift response.

The interior, meanwhile, gets more soft-touch materials, stitching and red ambient lighting for the dashboard. Also new to the cabin is GM's new front-centre airbag. Designed to address potential casualties and fatalities in far-side-impact crashes, the air bag deploys from the inboard side of the driver's seat and between the driver and front passenger.

If you don't care about all that, what about the Acadia in dealer showrooms today? It's been unchanged for five years. To spark interest in the 2012 version, GMC is offering a $4,700 "stackable" factory rebate and more – offers that could add up to more than $9,000 in discounts, not including whatever extra money GM Card holders can throw into the discounting pot.

The key word here, of course, is "stackable." Savvy buyers can combine that $4,700 with a roster of additional incentives: $500 Auto Show Bonus, a $1,500 Cash-for-Lease rebate, and even the $750 Canadian Forces Bonus.

Now for the fine print. The Auto Show Bonus is actually worth $250 because dealers need to pay a $250 "participation" fee and if you want the $1,500 in lease money, you'll need to take the 3.3 per cent financing for 24-48 months and turn in your current leased vehicle using the LeaseBusters.com online exchange – though for the latter, GM dealers are happy to manage the process.

On the show floor in Toronto, Ford's Lincoln premium brand will show an updated version of the MKT large crossover, a 2013 model. If you are okay with the 2012 MKT, Lincoln has as much as $7,000 in bonus money in play.

Again, the fine print. The $6,000 73-month Finance Allowance requires that your Lincoln dealer facilitate the 73-month loan with a financial institution and if you want the $1,000 Costco bonus, you will need to have been a Costco member for at least six months.

Deals has an eye for the Infiniti G37, too. Here, Infiniti has $3,500 in Lease Cash Support available which can be combined with $1,500 in Stackable Bonus Cash for a total of $5,000 in sales sweeteners. The trick here is that to get the Lease Cash you'll also need to take the lease rate of 2.9 per cent for 36-48 months.

Or, you can take $3,500 in Non-stackable Merchandising Dollars on an Infiniti cash purchase. If none of those options appeals, consider taking advantage of a $1,500 factory-to-dealer rebate and combine it with 0.9 per cent financing for up to 60 months.

Honda, meanwhile, is showing the Accord Coupe Concept at this year's Toronto show. It's a concept in name only; the 2013 Accord Coupe (and sedan) arriving all-new in showrooms this fall will be 90 per cent of what you'll see at Honda's display next week. Not surprisingly, Honda has a $1,000 incentive on the 2012 Accord Coupe.

As usual, Deals of the Week obtained pricing information from carcostcanada.com, among other sources. Here are the numbers.

2012 Infiniti G37 Sport AWD

• MSRP: $48,540
• Freight, dealer prep, air conditioning tax: $2,050
• Dealer discount (estimated): $2,000
• Factory discount: $3,500 (Lease Cash Support factory-to-dealer rebate)
• Factory discount: $1,500 (Stackable Bonus Cash factory-to-dealer rebate)
• Taxable subtotal: $43,590
• Total price with 13 per cent HST: $49,256.70
• Can be combined with 2.9 per cent lease rate for 36 months

2012 GMC Acadia SE1 AWD

• MSRP: $41,590
• Freight, air conditioning tax and dealer prep: $1,595
• Dealer discount: $1,900
• Factory discount: $4,700 (Stackable Cash Rebate factory-to-dealer)
• Taxable subtotal: $36,585
• Total price with 13 per cent HST: $41,341.05
• Factory discount: $1,500 (Cash for Lease factory-to-customer rebate)
• Factory discount: $500 (Auto Show Bonus factory-to-dealer rebate)
• Factory discount: $750 (Canadian Forces bonus)
• Final price: $38,591.05
• Can be combined with 3.3 per cent lease rate for 24-48 months

2012 Lincoln MKT 3.7L AWD

• MSRP: $48,150
• Freight, dealer prep and air conditioning tax and Green Levy: $1,700
• Dealer discount (estimated): $900
• Factory discount: $6,000 (73-month Finance Allowance factory-to-dealer rebate)
• Taxable subtotal: $42,950
• Total price with 13 per cent HST: $48,533.10
• Factory discount: $1,000 (Costco factory-to-customer rebate)
• Final price: $47,533.10
• 73-month bonus requires that dealers facilitate the loan with the financial institution

2012 Honda Accord Coupe EX manual I4

• MSRP: $26,790
• Freight, dealer prep, AC tax: $1,650
• Dealer discount (estimated): $900
• Factory discount: $1,000 (Non-stackable trading dollars factory-to-dealer rebate)
• Taxable subtotal: $26,540
• Total price with 13 per cent HST: $29,990.20

Pricing information source: 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. Dealer discounts are negotiated with the customer on a case-by-case basis.