Chrysler
One upside of a weak economy is showing up on the stickers of new cars: lower prices.
Automakers are cutting prices on selected 2010 models. In some cases, the all-new version of a vehicle may be introduced with a lower sticker price than the version it replaces.
Mercedes-Benz, for instance, cut the sticker price of the all-new version of its high-volume E350 midsize sedan by $3,300 to $49,475, including destination charges.
Rival Lexus cut the prices of the front- and all-wheel-drive versions of its RX 350 crossover by $700 for the new model year.
Nissan, meanwhile, announced that its updated compact Sentra sedan will be priced $130 to $1,080 lower, depending on the version.
Chrysler has gone furthest, cutting prices almost across the board for its aging lineup. Example: The 2010 Chrysler Town & Country minivan is $29,215, down $1,030 from the 2009 model.
The "manufacturer's suggested retail price" on the sticker is just that, a suggestion. The actual deal price results from bargaining between the dealer and customer.
Automakers aren't going into detail to explain cuts except to boil it down to one word: competition. With new car demand the lowest in decades, cutting prices can move slow sellers or generate buzz on updated models.
In its new E-Class, Mercedes added sleek new looks and, as standard equipment, an extra air bag and a system that alerts drivers if they appear to be falling asleep at the wheel. Yet the price was cut "to remain competitive," spokeswoman Larkin Hill says.
Toyota plans a cheaper version of the Prius, apparently aimed at holding off rival Honda Insight, a smaller and less expensive hybrid.
Sometimes a lower price isn't all it seems. General Motors lowered sticker prices for the new model year on just two vehicles — and in both cases, it was because of changes in the vehicles themselves.
The 2010 Chevrolet Equinox crossover, whose sticker price is down $1,825, to $23,185, has a thrifty four-cylinder base engine instead of the six-cylinder on the 2009, spokesman John McDonald says. The 2010 Cadillac SRX is smaller than the 2009, resulting in a price cut of $7,080 to $34,155, excluding destination charges.
Ford held the base pricing of its 2010 Taurus, on sale shortly, about the same as the 2009, even though the new model is bigger and significantly improved.
source: usatoday
