AAIA predicts 'Cash for Clunkers backlash'

July 23, 2009

The Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA) predicts a "consumer backlash" against the "Cash for Clunkers" program.

New car dealerships are ramping up their "advertising efforts to attract customers to the showroom using 'Cash for Clunkers' as an incentive," say AAIA officials, who characterize the progam as "nothing more than a clever slogan for a program to spend $1 billion of our tax dollars to find a government-subsidized vehicle trade-in to help new car dealers sell cars."

"Consumers will soon learn that they are simply trading in their vehicles and will still have to jump through all of the hoops to qualify for and purchase a new vehicle," says AAIA CEO and President Kathleen Schmatz.