Ford, Chevrolet Begin Labor Day Battle Weeks Early

Cameron Aubernon
by Cameron Aubernon

Hold onto your wallets: Ford and Chevrolet are getting the jump on Labor Day sales weeks in advance of what most consider the end of the summer season.

Automotive News reports the two brands are bringing their A games to the showroom, ranging from 0 percent financing for 72 months across most of their respective lines, to Chevrolet offering deferred payments for the first 90 days for select models. Rather than wait until closer to Labor Day, however, Ford launched the first attack back in late July; Chevrolet kicked off its campaign last week.

The end game? Regain lost ground in sales from the first half of 2014. Ford lost 1 percent of its share of the market, dropping to 14.8 percent in comparison to 2013. Meanwhile, Chevrolet fell from 12.9 percent to 12.5 percent in the same period comparison.

Other combatants in the end-of-summer sales battle include Toyota offering 0 percent APR for 60 months on a handful of models, Nissan presenting 0 percent between 36 and 72 months depending on the model chosen, and Dodge giving buyers 90-day deferments on 2014 and 2015 models through Labor Day weekend.

Cameron Aubernon
Cameron Aubernon

Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.

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  • Sky_Render Sky_Render on Aug 19, 2014

    Son of a BISCUIT, I just bought a brand-new Fusion last Thursday!

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    • Sky_Render Sky_Render on Aug 21, 2014

      @Kyree Loaded Ford Fusion Titanium, 2.0T. I got low (1.9%) interest financing through Ford Credit, but not THAT low.

  • Eggsalad Eggsalad on Aug 19, 2014

    Agree. Cash on the hood is much more interesting than finance offers. I can walk into my Credit Union right now and get a 1.5% car loan, and the difference between 0% and 1.5% barely amounts to a blip on the radar.

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    • Sky_Render Sky_Render on Aug 21, 2014

      @highdesertcat Their "network" is now TrueCar, and you've seen the articles on that. USAA's TrueCar price was higher than what I paid for my new Ford Fusion. Screw TrueCar.

  • VCplayer VCplayer on Aug 19, 2014

    I actually kind of enjoy the Ford action movie ads, even if they're silly as all get out. It's tongue-in-cheek enough to be tolerable though, and it's more creative than most auto advertising. For the life of me I can't remember a Chevy ad from the past decade. Toyota saved themselves with the Muppets.

    • MBella MBella on Aug 20, 2014

      Really? They kind of annoy me. Why didn't they go with something like BMW's "The Hire"?

  • Mars3941 Mars3941 on Aug 19, 2014

    The only thing I like about the Toyota ads is the girl in the showroom. Jan.

    • Highdesertcat Highdesertcat on Aug 19, 2014

      My Toyota salesman is butt-ugly and his boss, the sales manager, is even uglier. But they sure know how to make a sale without having a dance marathon or arm-wrestling contest. Maybe it's just the El Paso, TX, way of doing business. Straight shooters. NO jaw-jacking, just a realistic expectation of profit, and a price most buyers who think about it, can live with.

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