Lease Deals, Incentives Abundant in April
Chicago - As dealerships across the country continue to unload old inventory to make room for new vehicles, lease deals and new-car incentives remain plentiful this month. April brings strong incentives in the crowded mid-sized sedan, compact and mid-sized SUV segments, where dealers and manufacturers are competing heavily for the attention of consumers.
Due, in part, to the overstocked large-vehicle category, manufacturers are expected to offer generous incentives as a means to help move inventory. Significant deals on vehicles in the increasingly popular compact SUV segment, including the 2014 Jeep Cherokee Sport FWD, 2014 BMW X1 xDrive28i, 2014 Buick Enclave and 2014 Honda CR-V 5 Speed Automatic 2WD LX, will continue throughout the month and into May.
"Relatively slow sales pace in the first quarter of 2014 resulted in higher-than-expected inventory levels at many dealers' lots, which can only mean more attractive deals for consumers in April," said Jesse Toprak, chief analyst, Cars.com, an automotive digital marketing company and car shopping site. "Manufacturers will take advantage of the seasonal uptick and warmer weather, which should bring an influx of shoppers to dealerships, by heavily promoting their vehicles. We'll also see continued promotion of low-APR financing incentives and generous leasing offers. Consumers are leasing new vehicles at near-record levels due to special manufacturer promotions featuring low payments, especially in the luxury-vehicle segment."
More Industry

South Carolina Auto Group Downsizes
Florida-based group Holler-Classic has acquired four rooftops, its first in South Carolina, from Dick Smith Automotive Group.
Read More →
Structure Leads to Optimized Auto Listings
As the average car-buying journey has shifted to a blend of digital and retail, a dealership’s vehicle listings must be optimized to answer shoppers’ questions clearly and accurately.
Read More →
Consumers Mixed on Economy, Finances
A July survey shows spotty sentiment of current and future conditions, in addition to demographic differences as overall opinion of present circumstances kept sliding.
Read More →
EVs Closing the European Gap
Electrified powertrains led June new-vehicle sales in Europe, reaching 26% of the market.
Read More →
Early Intervention Saves Retention
Sales and service departments have the highest annual dealership turnover rates, according to a new industry report, costing money and time that could be better spent elsewhere.
Read More →
Autos More Appealing
Consumers gave new cars better scores again this year for design, performance and more as mass-market brands kept gaining on premium lineups, JD Power found in an annual poll.
Read More →
Used EVs Defy Overall Market
While the used-car market saw three months of price declines or stagnation, the used EV segment did the opposite – rising for three straight months.
Read More →
Trade-Ins in Negative Equity Reach New Heights
As such trade-ins rise in frequency, so do monthly loan payment amounts and interest rates, according to second-quarter data compiled by Edmunds.
Read More →
Gone to the Dogs
A Stellantis brand decided to have some fun with one of its SUVs’ design to address growing emphasis on family pets.
Read More →
OEM Poll Sees Industry Evolution
Kerrigan Advisors’ survey of automakers finds that tariffs, technology, network tightening and other factors are poised to reshape auto retail.
Read More →