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New-Vehicle Incentives Dwindle as Sales Fall

Spring rush fading followed by flat ATPs, rising MSRPs and less generous purchase motivators.

June 11, 2025
New-Vehicle Incentives Dwindle as Sales Fall

Cox said Volkswagen, Mazda, Land Rover, Volvo and BMW cut incentive spending by more than 10%. Most other automakers also reduced the breaks.

Credit:

Volkswagen

2 min to read


May’s drop in sales from the unusually strong spring surge nevertheless came with flat incentives and elevated MSRPs.

New-vehicle deliveries fell 10% month-over-month to 15.6 million units, Cox Automotive said, as the rush of consumers fueled by fears of tariff-jacked prices faded. 

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Meanwhile, overall incentives were essentially flat compared to both April and a year earlier at just under 7% of the average transaction price as most automakers cut the breaks.

The average manufacturer’s suggested retail price, meanwhile, rose about half a percentage point month-over-month to its highest of the year so far at $50,968 and up 2% year-over-year after peaking in December at $51,990.

The average transaction price was therefore also flat at $48,799, though that’s up 1% year-over-year, Cox said.

“While tariff policy is adding uncertainty to the new-vehicle market, prices are holding remarkably steady, a reminder that auto industry change is often slow,” said Cox Executive Analyst Erin Keating. 

She predicted vehicle price inflation this summer due to trade tariffs’ impact.

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“Right now, we believe dealer profitability is being squeezed, as costs on many products are going up, but raising retail prices in this environment is a real challenge.”

Meanwhile, the electric-vehicle ATP fell 2% month-over-month to $57,734, or 1% year-over-year, as the average incentive package rose from about 12% of ATP to 14%, or more than twice industrywide incentives. 

ATPs of EV market leader Tesla alone fell about 2% from April and 3% year-over-year. That included the best-selling EV in the U.S., its Model Y, whose ATP fell 3%.

LEARN MORE: Trump 2.0 and Retail Automotive

Originally posted on Auto Dealer Today

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