2013 Subaru Legacy
Sales sweeteners can change in the blink of an eye, as Deals of the Week often warns. Well here in the second half of September, a few manufacturers have blinked.
In an effort to drive sales to a third straight record month – on route to a record year for new vehicle sales in Canada – we're seeing what insiders call "flash" sales. You might have spotted Hyundai's "5-Day Sale" or the latest limited-time offers from Nissan Canada.
In both instances, manufacturers are slapping on extra special incentives worth up to $1,000. The intent is to light a fire under sales that have stalled a bit this month. Hyundai's offers end Saturday, while Nissan's are good for the weekend, right through Monday.
I was interested to see Nissan keep its offer alive until Monday. This reflects new thinking at Nissan under the Canadian arm's latest president, Christian Meunier.
I recently spent some time with Meunier, whose previous assignment was running Nissan in Brazil. He takes a no-nonsense approach to sales and marketing. To move the metal more aggressively, among other things he is pushing all of Nissan's dealers to open up for business on Sunday.
Shocking as it may seem to car buyers, loads of dealerships in Canada are closed on Sunday. At a time when almost every type of retail business hawks their wares on Sunday, why are car dealers immune to reality? Plenty of working people would dearly love to do a leisurely car shop on Sunday, no?
If folks want to buy a Nissan on Sunday, Meunier wants to make that happen. He told me that wherever possible he is pushing dealers to open up on Sunday. And thus, Nissan Canada's $1,000 bonus offer runs through Monday.
Perhaps Hyundai will soon make a similar course correction. That will require a major change in Quebec, where Hyundai Canada is very strong. Many dealers are not open for business on weekends in Quebec. Mix in the fact that many other dealers across Canada maintain Sunday as a day of rest and recreation and you can see why Hyundai Canada has chosen to end its flash promotion at end-of-day Saturday. Why stretch it to Monday when many dealers aren't dealing.
The extra G-note looks pretty good on a $24,898 Nissan Altima that is already carrying a $4,000 factory incentive. You'll find the same story on a $32,499 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport with its $2,750 factory offer plus the new $1,000 flash money. Hyundai has also put an extra $500 on the Elantra compact – money in addition to the $2,350 factory incentive running for September. Meanwhile at Nissan, a $44,098 Murano crossover is wearing a $1,000 flash offer, plus a $5,000 factory-to-dealer rebate.
Deals of the Week also noticed a wonderfully rich $10,000 incentive on outgoing 2013 BMW X5s. A revamped 2014 X5 is coming later this year, so BMW Canada is clearing dealer lots. And over at Subaru, the buyer of a $32,495 Legacy sedan can deal for all or a chunk of a $3,500 factory-to-dealer incentive. Subaru is very careful about discounting, so this looks unusually rich.
Deals of the Week consulted with www.unhaggle.com, www.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.
2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 S I4 CVT
- MSRP: $24,898
- Freight, dealer prep, air conditioning tax: $1,795
- Dealer discount (estimated): $900
- Factory discount: $4,000 (factory-to-dealer rebate on cash purchases only)
- Factory discount: $1,000 (special factory-to-dealer discount available Sept. 19-23)
- Taxable subtotal: $20,793
- Total price with 13% HST: $23,496.09
- $1,000 discount available with 1.90% financing for up to 84 months
2013 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2.0T Premium Auto AWD:
- MSRP: $32,499
- Freight, dealer prep and air conditioning tax: $1,860
- Dealer discount (estimated): $1,000
- Factory discount: $2,750 (factory-to-dealer rebate for cash purchases only)
- Factory discount: $1,000 (special factory-to-dealer discount available Sept. 17-21)
- Taxable subtotal: $29,609
- Total price with 13% HST: $33,458.17
- $1,000 discount available with 1.49% financing for up to 84 months
2013 BMW X5 50i xDrive
- MSRP: $75,700
- Freight, dealer prep, AC tax: $1,860
- Dealer discount (estimated): $3,000
- Factory discount: $10,000 (factory-to-dealer rebate available for cash purchases)
- Taxable subtotal: $64,560
- Total price with 13% HST: $72,952.80
- $3,000 incentive available with 3.90% financing for 60 months
2013 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Limited sedan
- MSRP: $32,495
- Freight, PDI, AC tax: $1,695
- Dealer discount (estimated): $1,400
- Factory discount: $3,500 (factory-to-dealer rebate for cash purchases only)
- Taxable subtotal: $29,290
- Total price with 13% HST: $33,097.70
- $500 incentive available with 0.90% financing for up to five years
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.