2013 Jeep Wrangler
Sunday is Father's Day, and the David Suzuki in your house may want a new "green" car. If so, Nissan Canada would like you to know about the price cut just announced on its Leaf battery car – to $31,698 for a 17 per cent price cut on the base S model.
Nissan hastens to add that if you live in Ontario, Quebec or British Columbia, you are eligible for a taxpayer subsidy of $8,500, $8,000 or $5,000 respectively toward the purchase of a Leaf. Deals of the Week also tried to obtain a wholesale price report from wwww.carcostcanada.com. Not available. We'd expect the profit margin here to be slim, however.
Truth be told, Nissan has been underwhelmed by the tepid consumer response to the Leaf. Yes, Nissan worldwide has sold some 62,000 Leafs, but here in the battery car's third year on the market, Nissan had hoped for heartier sales. The price cut will help.
And it's been expected for some time. Why? Nissan has begun assembling the 2013 Leaf in Smyrna, Tenn. – and the battery pack and electric motor are also built in Tenn. Tennessee is a so-called "right to work" state where unions find it difficult to organize and companies find employee costs lower than, say, in high-wage Japan. Up until recently, every Leaf sold in North America had been imported from Japan.
Dads in Crocs and Birkenstocks who normally cycle to work might like to move up to a green ride like the Leaf – or the Chevrolet Volt ($42,000) or the Mitsubishi i-MiEV ($33,998) or the Ford Focus Electric or a number of other battery cars, even the ritzy Tesla Model S. Now of those, the Volt interested Deals most because Automotive News reports Volt inventory is up to a hefty 140-day supply, twice what the auto maker would like. Thus, GM last week in the U.S. slapped on a $5,000 incentive on the 2012 Volt and $4,000 off the 2013.
Alas, not in Canada. GM Canada does have 0.0 per cent financing for four years on the Volt and it can be combined with up to 3,000 Air Miles reward miles for buyers of an eligible GM Canada vehicle. But no cash offers, other than the $8,231 Ontario Government subsidy ($7,769 in Quebec, $5,000 in British Columbia). Mitsubishi Canada does have a $500 incentive for eligible buyers, however, and it gets the full subsidy treatment, of course.
That said, not all dads want a battery car. Some would be just thrilled with something utterly different than a Leaf or its ilk. Perhaps even the antithesis. Deals of the Week would call it the Jeep Wrangler, the two-door convertible version.
Here, dads are in luck. Chrysler Canada has a $3,250 sales sweetener in play on, say, a fully dressed $34,295 Wrangler Rubicon. The right buyer may be able to stack the cash on top of a 2.99 per cent finance rate for four years.
Then there's what we'll call the Dad's Day Deal on the Acura TSX. Rumours continue to swirl around the car. They question the TSX's future. You see, with the ILX now in Acura's lineup and the European Honda Accord on which the TSX is based being phased out, the TSX is a question mark. Acura officials have no comment. In any case, this is a very good sedan and it's on offer with a $2,000 discount.
Finally, the Volvo S60. This is handsome sedan and the right buyer might be able to combine discounts worth up to $3,750, plus whatever dealer discount is available. Throw in 0.0 per cent financing for up to 60 months, and dad might have himself a new ride.
Happy Father's Day from Deals of the Week.
This week, pricing information was supplied by www.carcostcanada.com, among other sources. Consult your dealer for all the details, including expiry dates for all offers.
2013 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4WD 2-door
- MSRP: $34,295
- Freight, dealer prep, air conditioning tax: $1,795
- Dealer discount (estimated): $1,350
- Factory discount: $3,250 (Consumer Cash Discount factory-to-dealer rebate)
- Taxable subtotal: $31,490
- Total price with 13 per cent HST: $35,583.70
- 2.99 per cent financing for up to 48 months
2013 Nissan Leaf S
- MSRP: $31,698
- Freight, dealer prep and air conditioning tax: $1,990
- Dealer discount (estimated): $1,000
- Taxable subtotal: $32,688
- Total price with 13 per cent HST: $36,937.44
- Taxpayer subsidy: $8,500
- Final price: $28,437.44
2013 Acura TSX Premium Package
- MSRP: $35,350
- Freight, dealer prep, AC tax: $2,045
- Dealer discount (estimated): $1,400
- Factory discount: $2,000 (Non-stackable Trading Dollars factory-to-dealer rebate)
- Taxable subtotal: $33,995
- Total price with 13 per cent HST: $38,414.35
2013 Volvo S60 T5 Premier FWD
- MSRP: $41,950
- Freight, PDI and AC tax: $1,195
- Dealer discount (estimated): $1,400
- Factory discount: $2,750 (Add Cash factory-to-dealer rebate)
- Taxable subtotal: $38,995
- Total price with 13 per cent HST: $44,064.35
- Factory discount for eligible buyers: $1,000 (Loyalty Offer factory-to-customer rebate)
- Final price: $43,064.35 • 0.0 per cent financing for up to 60 months.
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.