GM Offers Incentives to Toyota and Lexus Owners

Toyota managed to get itself in a lot of trouble and nowadays it seems that the Japanese automaker is sinking deeper and deeper into it. And if you’d expect somebody to lay a helping hand, you’re dead wrong. The recession turned everybody into a fighter.

General Motors, Toyota’s old partner from NUMMI, decided to kick the Japanese while they’re down and offer incentives to all Toyota and Lexus owners in the United States. According to GM spokesman Tom Henderson, this strategy came as a response to the thousands of calls they got from Toyota owners asking for help, but we severely doubt it.

Henderson also added that the incentives, which will run to the end of February, offer the clients three alternatives:

• Those who choose to lease a vehicle may waive three payments for up to a total of $1,000.
• Qualifying customers who are financing a vehicle purchase can receive 0 percent financing for up to 60 months.
• Cash buyers can receive $1,000 off their purchase.

The incentives are available if you decide to buy a GMC, Buick, Cadillac and Chevrolet vehicle and are meant to compensate for the value Toyota trade-ins have lost due to important recalls.

“When something like this happen … probably the consumers' biggest concern is, ‘What has happened to the value of the used car?'” Henderson said. “In general, when people buy a car, it's, ‘What is the used car worth, and what does the new car cost?'”

Toyota is also responsible for the Pontiac Vibe recall, as the car is practically a Matrix, so GM said it expects the Japanese to pay for all the work.

“Ultimately, GM dealers would fix Pontiac vehicles, but it's up to Toyota to provide the remedy,” Adler said today. “The NUMMI plant was a joint venture. However, the design, engineering and manufacturing of the product was Toyota's.”