In order to help boost business as we head toward the end of the year, automakers are offering up incentives, allowing consumers to get out of their current lease agreements and into new vehicles. Among those participating in such programs include luxury brands such as BMW, Lincoln and Mercedes-Benz.
As Canadian auto dealer previously reported, BMW is offering a three month payment waiver on those qualified customers that turn in a new lease for a new or certified pre-owned model. In BMW’s case the objective of this program is to stimulate sales, in an effort to overtake archrival Mercedes-Benz, which has pulled ahead in the critical U.S. market. As for Lincoln, incentives, in which customers can turn in a lease with up to six months still left on it for a new model, aims to clear out existing inventory of 2012 MKZ models, in preparation for the radically revised 2013 version, a car that aims to help reinvent the brand and increase its penetration in the luxury segment.
Mercedes-Benz has quietly offered select loyalty lease programs for qualified customers in the U.S. but a spokeswoman for the company, Donna Boland said the automaker doesn’t plan to go toe to toe with BMW in an effort to boost sales. Other manufacturers offering attractive lease incentives for customers include Lexus, which provides select early lease return programs on an individual case basis and also Volkswagen, whose early lease return program aims to help the brand achieve record sales volume in North America bolstered by lower priced models aimed at traditional American consumers.
