August 27, 2009 - 2:18pm

Press Release

MENENDEZ ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $103 MILLION IN "CASH FOR CLUNKERS" REBATES REQUESTED IN NJ

WASHINGTON – After the “Cash for Clunkers” program came to a close last night, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) announced today that a total of $103,375,500 in rebates was requested at New Jersey dealerships. New Jerseyans took advantage of the program at a greater rate than the national average -- $12.29 in rebates were requested per New Jerseyan, which is higher than the national average of $10.48. The Cash for Clunkers program offered rebates of up to $4,500 for consumers who traded in gas guzzlers for more fuel efficient new cars.

“At a time when initiatives to spur economic activity is needed, this program was a tremendous success, particularly in New Jersey,” said Menendez. “As a result of it, hundreds of millions of dollars have been pumped into local businesses, thousands of jobs have been supported, and thousands of New Jersey families will be saving money at the pump. This also helps us clean the air we breathe and reduce our dependence on foreign oil from oil-rich dictators. ‘Cash for Clunkers’ has helped move us toward an economic recovery and economic security in the 21^st Century.

“The tremendous popularity of the program has led to some delays along the way, but I have been working closely with dealers, customers, and the Department of Transportation to make sure every New Jersey application is handled as efficiently as possible. In response to inquiries from our office and others, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has tripled the number of staff processing inquiries. I have been assured that every dealer who has legitimately requested a rebate will soon receive one.”

Background on the Cash for Clunkers program:

C.A.R.S. Program Statistics

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009

Dealer Transactions

Number Submitted: 690,114

Dollar Value: $2,877.9M

Top 10 New Vehicles Purchased

Toyota Corolla
Honda Civic
Toyota Camry
Ford Focus FWD
Hyundai Elantra
Nissan Versa
Toyota Prius
Honda Accord
Honda Fit
Ford Escape FWD

New Vehicles Manufacturers

Toyota 19.4%

General Motors 17.6%

Ford 14.4%

Honda 13.0%

Nissan 8.7%

Hyundai 7.2%

Chrysler 6.6%

Kia 4.3%

Subaru 2.5%

Mazda 2.4%

Volkswagen 2.0%

Suzuki 0.6%

Mitsubishi 0.5%

MINI 0.4%

Smart 0.2%

Volvo 0.1%

All Other <0.1%

Top 10 Trade-in Vehicles

Ford Explorer 4WD
Ford F150 Pickup 2WD
Jeep Grand Cherokee 4WD
Ford Explorer 2WD
Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan 2WD
Jeep Cherokee 4WD
Chevrolet Blazer 4WD
Chevrolet C1500 Pickup 2WD
Ford F150 Pickup 4WD
Ford Windstar FWD Van

Vehicles Purchased by Category

Passenger Cars: 404,046

Category 1 Truck: 231,651

Category 2 Truck: 46,836

Category 3 Truck: 2,408

Vehicle Trade-in by Category

Passenger Cars: 109,380

Category 1 Truck: 450,778

Category 2 Truck: 116,909

Category 3 Truck: 8,134

84% of trade-ins under the program are trucks, and 59% of new vehicles purchased are cars. The program worked far better than anyone anticipated at moving consumers out of old, dirty trucks and SUVs and into new more fuel-efficient cars.

Average Fuel Economy

New vehicles Mileage: 24.9 MPG

Trade-in Mileage: 15.8 MPG

Overall increase: 9.2 MPG, or a 58% improvement

Cars purchased under the program are, on average, 19% above the average fuel economy of all new cars currently available, and 59% above the average fuel economy of cars that were traded in. This means the program raised the average fuel economy of the fleet, while getting the dirtiest and most polluting vehicles off the road.

Requested Voucher Dollar Amount by State:

ALABAMA	$31,251,500
ALASKA	$4,868,500
ARIZONA	$39,542,500
ARKANSAS	$23,402,500
CALIFORNIA	$326,822,000
COLORADO	$37,676,500
CONNECTICUT	$40,114,000
DELAWARE	$11,235,000
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA	$67,500
FLORIDA	$146,565,000
GEORGIA	$70,496,000
GUAM	$675,000
HAWAII	$7,333,500
IDAHO	$11,655,000
ILLINOIS	$143,613,000
INDIANA	$65,797,000
IOWA	$37,728,000
KANSAS	$31,496,500
KENTUCKY	$40,246,500
LOUISIANA	$33,376,500
MAINE	$16,579,500
MARYLAND	$74,903,000
MASSACHUSETTS	$64,855,000
MICHIGAN	$132,407,500
MINNESOTA	$73,160,500
MISSISSIPPI	$12,463,500
MISSOURI	$61,271,500
MONTANA	$6,461,000
NEBRASKA	$21,784,500
NEVADA	$14,582,000
NEW HAMPSHIRE	$23,045,500
NEW JERSEY	$103,375,500
NEW MEXICO	$13,941,500
NEW YORK	$156,292,000
NORTH CAROLINA	$78,601,500
NORTH DAKOTA	$8,938,000
OHIO	$136,267,000
OKLAHOMA	$37,422,000
OREGON	$37,531,500
PENNSYLVANIA	$138,651,500
PUERTO RICO	$2,252,000
RHODE ISLAND	$10,690,500
SOUTH CAROLINA	$37,207,500
SOUTH DAKOTA	$10,367,500
TENNESSEE	$50,949,000
TEXAS	$183,776,500
UTAH	$24,102,500
VERMONT	$9,879,000
VIRGIN ISLANDS	$1,553,000
VIRGINIA	$98,523,500
WASHINGTON	$55,927,500

SENATOR ROBERT MENENDEZ can be reached via email at afshin_mohamadi@menendez.senate.gov.

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