The Auto Channel
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
The Largest Independent Automotive Research Resource
Official Website of the New Car Buyer

Mazda Adds $500 Incentive to Sweeten Cash for Clunkers Deal


PHOTO
Cash for Clunkers

SEE ALSO: Cash For Clunkers Consumer Guide

WASHINGTON, July 23 -- The government's new Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), also known as cash for clunkers, officially gets underway, Friday, July 24, and Mazda dealers are expecting an increase in demand because more than 90 percent of Mazda's new vehicles qualify for the CARS program.

Under the CARS program, an owner of a passenger car, minivan, SUV, or pick-up truck that gets an EPA combined 18 mpg or less can trade it in for a government incentive toward the purchase of a new vehicle. The amount of the incentive is either $3,500 or $4,500, depending on the mpg improvement of the new vehicle over the one it replaces. See www.cars.gov for complete details.

Further sweetening the deal, Mazda is offering a $500 cash incentive on top of the $3,500 or $4,500 CARS incentive. "Times are tough, and consumers need all the help they can get right now to purchase a new, fuel-efficient, safe, yet, still fun-to-drive vehicle," said Mazda President Jim O'Sullivan. "We are starting to see signs that the economy is improving, but we thought Mazda customers would appreciate this extra help."

Additional incentives on individual models are also available. Visit www.mazdausa.com for more details on these incentives.

The Mazda consumer web site, www.MazdaUSA.com, provides a link to the government's official CARS web site, www.cars.gov, which clearly outlines which vehicles qualify as clunkers and which new vehicles are eligible under the program. At MazdaUSA.com, consumers can also access a Fact Sheet and Frequently Asked Questions for additional information on the program. Additionally, Mazda's Twitter site, NewsFromMazda, is tweeting daily on the latest CARS news.

To add a little fun to the CARS program, Mazda wants to keep track of the "Ugliest Clunkers" that are turned into dealerships for cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles. Customers and dealers are encouraged to send a photo of their old clunker for posting to Mazda's Ugliest Clunker photo album on Facebook at Mazda North America. The photos should be submitted to Mazda at TwitterMeMazda@gmail.com.

Ninety percent of Mazda models and engine combinations qualify for the CARS incentive program, which requires passenger cars to achieve 22 mpg or more combined fuel economy, and light trucks to achieve 18 mpg or better combined fuel economy:

2010 MAZDA3i and MAZDA3s 4-Door, 2010 MAZDA3s 5-Door, 2009 MAZDA6i, all 2009 CX-7s, all 2009 Tributes, 2009 Tribute Hybrid (only sold in selected markets), all 2009 MAZDA5s, all 2009 MX-5 Miatas, 2009 CX-9 2WD and 2009 B-Series B2300. A very limited number of model year 2008 vehicles are also eligible for the CARS program.

Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., Mazda North American Operations oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada and Mexico through nearly 900 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada, Inc., located in Ontario; and in Mexico by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City.