Local automobile dealers said they have seen an increase in demand for new, more fuel-efficient cars due to the national “Cash for Clunkers” program.
The program gives new car buyers a rebate for trading in their old gas guzzlers.
“There’s been a lot of interest, a lot of phone calls,” Tom Wherley, general manager of Wherley Motors, said. “It seems to be a real good thing. It’s a feel-good stimulus package from what we’re seeing.”
Steve Crosby, manager of Waschke Family GM Center in International Falls, said that the only frustration in the process was getting the applications submitted and approved.
He said that the trouble some potential traders have seen is that the “clunker” needs to have been registered and insured for the past year — which is a benchmark some have not met. However, he said that once qualified, the process moves quickly, and several older cars have been traded at their dealership.
Crosby said that between 20 and 30 customers have come to take advantage of the program since it started on July 27.
Wherley said that his dealership is seeing similar traffic as other lots around the country — an increase in demand and a quick sell-off of the fuel-efficient models.
He said that Chrysler has doubled the program rebate — which is either $3,500 or $4,500 depending on the difference of gas mileage between the old and new cars. Because of this, Wherley said that they sold half of their inventory of new vehicles in the last week. He has also sold all of his Dodge Ram pickup trucks.
Wherley said that because of fears that the rebate program may end soon, folks felt they needed to act quickly.
“People who wanted to do something were propelled to hurry up and act,” he said.
And, there appears to be a good reason to act quickly, as questions still loom about funding for the nation-wide stimulus program past Friday. The House approved an additional $2 billion, but the Senate has not yet voted on the funding.
The Obama administration is refusing to quickly release government records on its ‘‘cash-for-clunkers’’ rebate program that would substantiate — or undercut — White House claims of the program’s success, even as the president presses the Senate for a quick vote for $2 billion to boost car sales.
The Transportation Department said it will provide the data as soon as possible but did not specify a time frame or promise release of the data before the Senate votes whether to spend $2 billion more on the program.
The Transportation Department, which has collected details on about 157,000 rebate requests, won’t release sales data that dealers provided showing how much U.S. car manufacturers are benefiting from the $1 billion initially pumped into the program.
Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has argued against quick approval of $2 billion for the program because little is known about the first round of $3,500 and $4,500 rebates.
‘‘We don’t have the results of the first $1 billion,’’ McConnell spokesman Don Stewart said. ‘‘You don’t have them. We don’t have them. DOT doesn’t have all of it. We’d hate to make a mistake on something like that.’’
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
