Not only did Americans return to showrooms en masse in March, the also opened their wallets wider. Transaction prices are on a steady climb, says TrueCar. Manufacturers on the other hand show less largesse and tighten incentives.
Says Jesse Toprak of TrueCar:
“Auto manufacturers have finally found their sweet spot, with the production of vehicles meeting the demand of consumers, keeping incentives to a minimum. This led to the highest transaction prices in the industry in March, along with record highs for Chrysler, GM, Hyundai/Kia, and Nissan.”
TrueCar Transaction Pricing Chart, March 2012
| Manufacturer | Mar-12 | Feb-12 | Mar-11 | YoY | MoM |
| Chrysler (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat) | $29,842 | $29,458 | $28,052 | 6.40% | 1.30% |
| Ford (Ford, Lincoln) | $31,758 | $31,644 | $30,524 | 4.00% | 0.40% |
| GM (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC) | $33,289 | $33,086 | $32,200 | 3.40% | 0.60% |
| Honda (Acura, Honda) | $26,249 | $26,141 | $24,876 | 5.50% | 0.40% |
| Hyundai/Kia | $21,717 | $21,502 | $19,857 | 9.40% | 1.00% |
| Nissan (Nissan, Infiniti) | $28,322 | $28,105 | $26,364 | 7.40% | 0.80% |
| Toyota (Lexus, Scion, Toyota) | $27,396 | $27,012 | $26,214 | 4.50% | 1.40% |
| Volkswagen (Audi, Volkswagen) | $33,124 | $33,159 | $31,378 | 5.60% | -0.10% |
| Industry | $30,748 | $30,605 | $28,771 | 6.90% | 0.50% |
TrueCar lists the average transaction price for light vehicles in the United States at $30,748 in March 2012, up $1,977 (6.9 percent) from March 2011 and up $143 (0.5 percent) from February 2012.
TrueCar Incentives Chart, March 2012
| Manufacturer | Mar-12 | Feb-12 | Mar-11 | YoY | MoM |
| Chrysler (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat) | $3,137 | $3,195 | $2,971 | 5.60% | -1.80% |
| Ford (Ford, Lincoln) | $2,726 | $2,833 | $2,804 | -2.80% | -3.80% |
| GM (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC) | $3,144 | $3,116 | $3,314 | -5.10% | 0.90% |
| Honda (Acura, Honda) | $2,122 | $2,126 | $2,309 | -8.10% | -0.20% |
| Hyundai/Kia | $882 | $841 | $1,270 | -30.60% | 4.80% |
| Nissan (Nissan, Infiniti) | $3,115 | $3,233 | $2,433 | 28.00% | -3.70% |
| Toyota (Lexus, Scion, Toyota) | $1,704 | $1,619 | $1,969 | -13.50% | 5.20% |
| Volkswagen (Audi, Volkswagen) | $2,021 | $2,077 | $1,934 | 4.50% | -2.70% |
| Industry | $2,440 | $2,476 | $2,483 | -1.80% | -1.50% |
In the incentives department, GM still leads the charts with $3,144 on the hood of the average car. Hyundai/Kia has dropped its incentives to an average of $882, but also has the lowest transaction price of the manufacturers listed.
