2012 Mazda6
This being the start of the month, dealers and manufactures are juggling their offers, at least in some cases. What's obvious is that Canada's new car/light truck market is red hot, afire with deals.
"Indeed, this is the best October ever, beating the previous record from 2002 when sales climbed to 134,694 units," notes DesRosiers Automotive Consultants in a note to clients. "This positive performance pushed the SAAR (seasonally adjusted annual rate) up to 1.78 million units, setting up Canada to see as many as 1.7 million units sold on a full-year basis.
"In only one year (2002) did we break the 1.7 million mark, and that year saw a not-inconsiderable number of vehicles (at least 25,000) exported to Americans due to favourable exchange rates. If you take these export volumes into account, 2012 could be the best year ever."
Deals of the Week turned to mining the sales reports for October and found some out-sized sales increases that signal great offers and stunning sales sweeteners on a wide, wide range of vehicles.
We'll start with Mazda. Canadian sales overall were down 5.6 per cent last month, but the story was entirely different for the Mazda6 mid-size sedan and CX-9 crossover utility – sales up 78 and 33 per cent, respectively.
The deal on the 6? A $4,000 factory-to-dealer incentive on cash purchases, and that fat offer could be combined with another $1,000 to returning Mazda owners and even a $500 Grad award. Add them all up and it comes to $5,500 in discounts on, say, a $25,345 Mazda6 GS with automatic transmission. Now keep in mind that these offers were slated to expire at the end of October, but for those interested, your local dealer can help – might even stir interest with an additional dealer discount, if you push.
At Nissan, the Frontier pickup had its best month ever, with sales up nearly 62 per cent last month. The answer to why is right here: a $26,178 Frontier S King Cab with automatic transmission has been offered with a $5,500 factory-to-dealer rebate on cash purchases. Or, for those who looking to go the financing route, Nissan Canada has been dealing $2,500 in cash that has been stackable with 0.0 per cent financing for 72 months, or six years. Like the Mazda offer, these incentives were slated to expire at the end of October, though they, too, might be extended or even enhanced for November.
BMW Canada reports that its overall sales were up 14 per cent in October, led in part by the ultra-ritzy 6-Series. To juice interest, BMW slapped $10,000 on the hood of a $109,900 6-Series convertible with xDrive all-wheel drive. That deal had been offered on cash purchases, but also for those wishing to take advantage of 1.9 per cent financing for five years. Again, the official expiry date was Oct. 31, but dealers want to deal and they might just sweeten the pot for serious shoppers.
And then there's the Chrysler 200 mid-size car. Sales year-on-year more than doubled last month, from 405 sold in October 2011 to 874 sold last month. This number explains why: $3,600. That's the factory-to-dealer rebate on a $19,995 LX that officially was set to expire on Halloween.
As usual, Deals of the Week obtained pricing information from www.carcostcanada.com, among other sources. Consult your dealer for all the details.
2012 Chrysler 200 LX
- MSRP: $19,995
- Freight, dealer prep, air conditioning tax: $1,600
- Dealer discount (estimated): $350
- Factory discount: $3,600 (Consumer Cash discount factory-to-dealer rebate)
- Taxable subtotal: $17,645
- Total price with 13 per cent HST: $19,938.85
- 4.49 per cent financing for up to 96 months
2012 Mazda6 GS auto
- MSRP: $25,345
- Freight, dealer prep and air conditioning tax: $1,795
- Dealer discount (estimated): $1,100
- Factory discount: $4,000 (Mazda Retail Cash factory-to-dealer rebate for cash purchases)
- Factory discount: $500 (Grad Award factory-to-customer rebate)
- Taxable subtotal: $21,540
- Total price with 13 per cent HST: $24,340.20
- Factory discount: $1,000 (Owner Loyalty Renewal factory-to-customer rebate)
- Final price: $23,340.20
2012 Nissan Frontier S King Cab S auto
- MSRP: $26,178
- Freight, dealer prep, AC tax: $1,795
- Dealer discount (estimated): $900
- Factory discount: $5,500 (Non-stackable Trading Dollars factory-to-dealer rebate)
- Taxable subtotal: $21,573
- Total price with 13 per cent HST: $24,377.49
- Factory discount: $400 (Grad Award factory-to-customer rebate)
- Final price: $23,977.49
- $2,500 in Stackable Trading Dollars can be combined with 0.0 per cent financing for 72 months
2012 BMW 650i xDrive Cabriolet
- MSRP: $109,900
- Freight, dealer prep, AC tax: $2,095
- Dealer discount (estimated): $5,000
- Factory discount: $10,000 (Non-stackable Cash Discount factory-to-dealer rebate)
- Taxable subtotal: $96,995
- Total price with 13 per cent HST: $109,604.35
- Can be combined with 1.9 per cent financing for five years
Pricing information source: 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. Dealer discounts are negotiated with the customer on a case-by-case basis.