Does GM's Hybrid Incentive Appeal to You?
Friday August 1, 2008
General Motors just announced plans to offer a $4,000 cash bonus on the purchase of a new 2008 GMC Yukon or Yukon XL Hybrid (plus the conventional models) starting today. The hybrid is also eligible for $2,000 customer cash which makes the grand total savings $6,000 on the two-mode. As you may remember, we had the opportunity to test drive the '08 GMC Yukon Hybrid 2WD, plus a preview of its cousin, the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid. $750 bonus purchase cash is also being offered on the 2008 GMC Sierra HD flex-fuel pickup, along with a handful of other conventional models also.
So we can't help but wonder: Would you seriously consider buying the 2008 Yukon Hybrid SUV due to this incentive? According to the Automotive News article, these incentives are slated to run through August 19 and could change once earnings figures are released--we'll let you know if that's the case later today.
So we can't help but wonder: Would you seriously consider buying the 2008 Yukon Hybrid SUV due to this incentive? According to the Automotive News article, these incentives are slated to run through August 19 and could change once earnings figures are released--we'll let you know if that's the case later today.
Comments
I’d be curious to see how the numbers work out. Are these vehicles eligible for the federal tax break or has that gone away? What is the price difference now between the gas and hybrid versions? I’d also have to compare to what Dodge and Chrysler are offering their new hybrids for.
Having driven and reviewed the Tahoe Hybrid, I would love to own one if I needed a full-sized SUV. The only problem is that $6,000 doesn’t even begin to approach the incentive that I’d need when the Hybrid starts at $50,000 and the LS starts at just $35,000.
You know how many motorcycles you could buy for the price of a Yukon?
;-)
Hey Keith - We crunched the numbers when we reviewed the Yukon earlier this year, and this is what we discovered:
“Compared to a similarly optioned Yukon SLT, the hybrid system carries a $2820 price premium. Based on 15,000 miles of annual driving, and factoring in the Yukon two-mode’s superior fuel economy (over the conventional Yukon’s 16 mpg) and a generous $2200 federal tax credit, the hybrid pays for itself in as little as 10 months.”
That folks would even think of buying a Yukon or any other SUV is rather astounding to me. Isn’t anyone looking at or listening to all the planet sustainability issues humanity is facing? Will we be the last country in the world to “tune in”?
If you want a Yukon or similar product, wait a bit: there soon will be fields of them parked, rusting, in the queue for melt-down into something more pragmatic. People who care at all about the earth and about a sustainable future are going to be steering away from yesterday’s monster vehicles in droves!