Auto News 5

Incentive spending, rebates to customers and cash to dealers, is the magic elixir that lubricates the new-car marketplace. Customer rebates are well publicized, but dealer incentives, which are hidden from public view, are usually the larger and arguably more important. Auto companies do not publish their incentive spending figures, considering them closely guarded secrets, but outsiders can make an educated guess at the totals, which is exactly what the firm Autodata has done. We took a look at the incentive spending estimates for December 2009 to see which cars sell themselves and which need to be blasted out the showroom door with a fire hose full of money. Keep in mind that incentive spending can vary tremendously from month to month, so the December figures are only a snapshot, although a fascinating one.inline_mediumwraptextright27741829/features/news/1001_december_incentive_spending1001_01_z+2009_saab_9-5_sportCombi+rear_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

December auto sales provided some reason for hope going into 2010. The December total of 1,030,096 units sold was better than any other month in a grim 2009, save for August, which was fueled by the Cash-for-Clunkers program. December was also a considerable improvement over November - a 38% improvement, to be exact.inline_mediumwraptextright26530040/features/news/1001_2009_december_auto_sales_analysis1001_01_z+2009_subaru_forester_25XT+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue