In a shrinking new car market awash with incentives and rebates that sometimes total as much as $10,000 or more, Toyota's actually gained market share in June on the strength of well-packaged and designed products that rang a bell with consumers. But victories on the automotive battlefield are often short-lived. Watch for new vans from Nissan (Quest) and Ford (Freestar) this summer and fall, and a full load of new entries from GM - including the right-sized and good looking Honda-powered Chevy Equinox cute-ute - to challenge import leadership.
 |
| With the new car market in turmoil, Toyota was actually able to increase their market share in June by offering well-packaged and sharply designed vehicles that won over consumers. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
The ability to acquire dealer invoice pricing at an extremely low price has made CarCostCanada.com (www.carcostcanada.com) an extremely popular resource for new car shoppers. The web site also offers information on hidden rebates, holdbacks, incentives and national average mark ups. According to Timoteo, "CCC levels the playing field for both consumers and dealers by providing information that removes the pressure cooker atmosphere normally associated with buying a new car, allowing the buyer to make a fair and reasonable offer that in the end most dealers appreciate."