2013 Nissan LEAF
New vehicles rolled off dealer lots in huge numbers in July: sales were up 7.3 per cent year-over-year, reports DesRosiers Automotive Consultants.
"With 158,993 new light vehicles sold last month, the market experienced its best July ever, besting the previous peak (July 2005 @ 154,830 units) by over 4,000 units," said the industry research firm in a note to clients.
Of course buyers found deals, but what is surprising to Deals of the Week is how those deals stretch right across all segments of the market. For instance, sales of the Nissan Leaf battery car are up 80 per cent on the year, reports an industry source. Now while the actual number is hardly impressive – 248 sold through the end of June versus 137 during the same period in 2012 – it is clear that a price reduction and an additional factory incentive have lured in a few more early EV (electric vehicle) adopters.
Nissan, in fact, lowered the price of the base 2013 Leaf S to $31,698 from $38,395 in 2012. Add in a $1,500 factory incentive, a taxpayer rebate of up to $8,500 (after tax, of course) - depending on your province, and perhaps a modest dealer discount and you have a Leaf with $10,000 or more in total discounts. Truly, a sophisticated $22,000 EV now looks like a reasonable deal even if you're not a true EV believer.
At the other end of the market, consider the luxurious Audi A8. A stunning and delightful luxury sedan. The 2013 3.0T version lists for $89,900, but between dealer discounts and factory sales sweeteners, the sharp buyer should be able to tally up $20,000 in price reductions. If not the Leaf, why not just throw all in on a car and get the A8?
Or a truck from one of the Japanese brands? Deals of the Week found $10,000 or more in discounts on a big Toyota Tundra Crewmax pickup, while over at Honda, the Pilot SUV has a $5,000 factory bonus waiting to be claimed.
If the golf course or the cottage holds little allure this long weekend, why not a dealer showroom where manufacturers and their retailers are doing the deals that are driving record new-vehicle sales in Canada?
Deals of the Week consulted carcostcanada.com, unhaggle.com and other sources on these offers. As usual, pricing information here is subject to change, so consult your dealer for all the final details, including expiry dates for all offers.
2013 Nissan Leaf S
- MSRP: $31,698
- Freight, dealer prep, air conditioning tax: $2,090
- Factory discount: $1,500 (Dealer Discount factory-to-dealer incentive)
- Dealer discount (estimated): $700
- Taxable subtotal: $32,988
- Total price with 13 per cent HST: $37,276.44
- Taxpayer incentive: $8,500
- Final price: $28,776.44
- 5.99 per cent for 60 months
2013 Audi A8 3.0T
- MSRP: $89,900
- Freight, dealer prep and air conditioning tax: $2,095
- Factory discount: $12,500 (Audi Lease or Finance Cash factory-to-dealer rebate)
- Factory discount: $5,000 (Conquest Cash factory-to-dealer rebate (or the alternative Loyalty Cash factory-to-consumer rebate))
- Dealer discount: $3,250
- Taxable subtotal: $71,245
- Total price with 13 per cent HST: $80,506.85
- 1.9 per cent financing available with smaller discount
2013 Toyota Tundra Crewmax 4WD 5.7-litre SR5
- MSRP: $42,360
- Freight, dealer prep, AC tax: $1,790
- Factory discount: $8,000 (Manufacturer Incentive factory-to-dealer)
- Dealer discount (estimated): $2,000
- Taxable subtotal: $34,150
- Total price with 13 per cent HST: $38,589.50
- 1.90 per cent financing available without cash incentive
2013 Honda Pilot LX 4WD
- MSRP: $37,990
- Freight, PDI, AC tax: $1,740
- Factory discount: $5,000 (Manufacturer Incentive factory-to-dealer)
- Dealer discount (estimated): $1,500
- Taxable subtotal: $33,230
- Total price with 13 per cent HST: $37,549.90
- 1.99 per cent financing for 84 months without cash incentive
Pricing information source : www.unhaggle.com and www.carcostcanada.com. Calculations based on Ontario customers. Please note that while the information above is accurate at the time of publication, incentives are given at the discretion of individual dealers, and may be changed or discontinued at any time. Where noted, "dealer discounts" are negotiated with the customer on a case-by-case basis. Unhaggle Savings are actual discounts received by Unhaggle customers.
Correction: An earlier version of this story listed discounts for the 2014 Audi A8, not the 2013 model. The figures above have been changed.