Luxury Carmakers Are Making Deals
TAMPA BAY, FL – Several major luxury brands, including BMW, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and Infiniti, are promoting discounted leases or other price-cutting deals to spur sales.
TAMPA BAY, FL – Several major luxury brands, including BMW, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and Infiniti, are promoting discounted leases or other price-cutting deals to spur sales, according to www.tampabay.com.
In August, 63 percent of luxury vehicle sales involved some kind of cut-rate financing, compared with 43 percent a year earlier, according to data from the Power Information Network (PIN), which harvests transaction data from dealerships. The average cash rebate offered by luxury brands in August was $3,240, up from $2,624 a year earlier, PIN’s surveys found. But a few brands went above and beyond. Land Rover’s British-made SUVs went off lots in August with an average $7,016 cash rebate. Land Rover’s deals outdid Cadillac and Lincoln — which have tended to discount more heavily than European and Japanese brands. General Motors Corp.’s Cadillac brand offered cash rebates averaging $4,105 a vehicle last month, up from $2,758 a vehicle the year before.
Sales in the “lower luxury” car segment, which includes the BMW 3-Series, Acura TL, Infiniti G35, and Lexus ES and IS models, are down 10.3 percent for the year through Aug. 31, according to Autodata figures. That’s almost five times worse than the 2.1 percent decline for passenger-car sales overall. Total luxury car sales are down 14.2 percent for the first eight months of 2008. Luxury SUV sales are down nearly 18 percent for the year so far — a decline that understates the accompanying effect on carmakers’ profits.
BMW’s U.S. marketing arm has extended its low-interest-rate financing offers on 2008 models to the end of October, though the deals on certain models aren’t as generous as in August. If you qualify, you can get a 0.9 percent loan on a 335i sedan or a free automatic transmission.
More Operations

How to Manage Conflict for Your Fleet Operations
Conflict management is becoming a core leadership skill. Here are five strategies fleet leaders should know.
Read More →
Turning Connected Vehicle Data Into Decisions That Matter
Fleet leaders have more data than ever, but turning that data into clear, actionable decisions remains a challenge. This white paper shows how leading organizations are using connected vehicle data to improve safety, reduce costs, and optimize fleet performance. Learn how to turn insight into action across your fleet.
Read More →
Cameras, Safety and Insurance: From Reactive Claims to Real-time Prevention
Commercial auto remains one of the most challenging and costly lines of coverage for fleet operators and insurers alike. Learn more about how to effectively address these issues from Onur Aksan, Enterprise Business Development Executive, Geotab.
Read More →Are You Tracking Your Fleet's True Total Cost of Ownership?
Bobit Business Media surveyed 190 fleet professionals and found that while most fleets are tracking costs, fragmented systems and data gaps are keeping true TCO visibility out of reach. With rising pressure to control spend in an increasingly volatile environment, the gap between what fleets think they know and what the data actually shows is wider than you might expect. See how your peers are managing costs today and where the industry still has room to improve.
Read More →
Turn Fleet Data Into Smarter Decisions
Fleet leaders have access to more operational data than ever, but disconnected systems and unclear metrics often slow decision-making instead of improving it. This article outlines five practical steps fleets can take to transform fragmented data into actionable insights that improve planning, safety, utilization, and long-term performance.
Read More →
Hybrids: Electrification Without the Challenges
For fleet managers, fuel is one of the biggest line items in the budget — and it's one hybrids can shrink without changing how your people work. Download the eBook to see the numbers, understand the technology, and get a step-by-step guide to making the switch.
Read More →
How NOV Uses Telematics to Improve Fleet Safety Across 160 Locations
James Victory of NOV discusses how the company manages fleet safety, maintenance, and telematics across more than 150 locations supporting oilfield operations throughout the U.S.
Read More →
Fleet Meets: Steven Santostasi
This edition of the Fleet Meets series features Steven Santostasi, the current TSP channel manager for Ford Pro.
Read More →
Why Fleet Managers Are Replacing Departmental Vehicles with Shared Motor Pools
Departmentally assigned vehicles often create hidden costs through underutilization, poor visibility, and increased administrative burden. This white paper explores how shared motor pool strategies help fleets reduce costs, improve accountability, and optimize vehicle utilization.
Read More →Soap Box Derby Challenge: Assembling the Crew
Meet Gabriel, Matthew, and Angel — the team helping bring this soap box derby build to life.
Read More →
