Reply to "Cash For Clunkers Program is a Clunker!"

quote:

Originally posted by Pantera 4134:
From an article on Edmunds


The Inconvenient Truth About "Cash for Clunkers" Is $20K Per Sale In Taxpayer Cash

July 27, 2009

Much has been written - both pro and con - about the so-called Cash for Clunkers program that officially launched Monday.

Complexity, limited eligibility and minimal funding are common criticisms, but a chief filing of the program, according to Edmunds.com CEO Jeremy Anwyl is the cost to taxpayers. Even if Cash for Clunkers reaches its budgeted cap of $1 billion, the program will only help drive about 50,000 incremental new car sales, each of which will cost taxpayers a whopping $20,000, according to Edmunds.com's research.



Typically 200,000 vehicles worth less than $4,500 are traded in for new vehicles every three months. At best, the current Cash for Clunkers program - officially called the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) - will fund 250,000 such transactions in the same time period - a gain of only 50,000 vehicles. Given that this program is budgeted to cost $1 billion, this increase will come at the cost of $20,000 per extra sale.

"The incremental sales will be limited and at a considerable cost. In effect, we are paying consumers to do something most would do anyway," said Anwyl. "So as a stimulus, the program fails. One could make a slightly stronger argument about the environmental benefits, but even there, the program could have been better designed.

"Really, the best consequence is that many consumers are getting interested in the idea of a new vehicle after hearing about Cash for Clunkers; we have to hope that even if they don't qualify, they will buy a vehicle anyway," added Anwyl. "But, how long-lived will that be? Once the program reaches its cap, interest will die down, and sales volume will fall as quickly as it rose. What will motivate shoppers to brave the marketplace in the months following Cash for Clunkers?"

Automakers must step up to continue the momentum. Anwyl points to the current Chrysler incentive program as an example of a creative marketing message that uses the Cash for Clunkers buzz to generate sales and to arm Chrysler dealers with a useful tool when working with Cash for Clunkers "rejects."

Still, for the savvy shopper who qualifes for a $3,500 or $4,500 Cash for Clunkers voucher, good deals are available. Tips for getting a good deal on available on the Cash for Clunkers section of Edmunds.com. Lively discussions about Cash for Clunkers are talking place on Edmunds' CarSpace.com message boards.