The government's “Cash for Clunkers” program is now closed and the numbers are beginning to roll in. One thing's for certain – whether you thought the $2.8 Billion stimulus program provided a real economic bang or more of a, well, clunk – a lot of cars changed hands this summer. The preliminary count is that over 690,000 Cash for Clunker deals were made across the country.
All of the top ten cars traded-in were trucks, SUVs or vans made by American manufacturers. But only two American models make the list of new cars purchased with the Clunker vouchers. The overall numbers aren't quite as bruising to Detroit's ego, though since about 38 percent of all the new cars purchased under the program came from the Big Three. However, as Car and Driver points out, not all “foreign” cars are made overseas, many of them are made right here in the US, including two cars on this list. (LINK: full statistics at http://www.cars.gov/files/official-information/August26Stats.pdf)
Here's a quick look at the Top 10 Clunker Replacement Vehicles:
Looks like lots of Americans chose to have their cake and eat it, too by trading one SUV for another. For those who couldn't stomach the notion of trading-in their SUV or truck and driving back home in a smaller car, the best-selling crossover Ford Escape FWD with its 24 MPG rating was the answer.
The Vehix editors were already charmed by the Honda Fit. Looks like former Clunker drivers agree. The Fit’s hip, sporty, fun and includes lots of high-tech features. Plus, it’s inexpensive and can give the Prius a run for your gas dollar. We're thinking the newness of the model may have kept it from selling more, and perhaps some clunker owners had a hard time with the idea of handing over their hulking F-150 in exchange for this sweet, but still small car.
Another of this list's legends, the Honda Accord is simply a solid all-around performer, especially for the family set. But an inconsistent safety record and slightly higher price likely influenced more buyers to choose the Camry instead.
When the $4,500 Clunkers voucher plus possible dealer incentives became available, fuel-efficiency-focused consumers moved from buying the hype on the Prius to buying the actual hybrid. From what we can tell, they won't be disappointed. As my colleague Nathan Adlen wrote it in his Vehix review of the 2010 Prius. “This new Toyota Prius can (fairly easily) attain 50 mpg. That is rather remarkable in a vehicle that recently went to a larger displacement (more powerful) engine and an altogether larger vehicle.” Sold.