WeLoveLocal

1 R Special Advertising Section | SUNDAY, AUGUST 16, 2020 11 Car dealerships are taking extra precautions to make sure showrooms and vehicles are clean and safe. Continued from previous page than in a grocery store or some other place with a lot of people right now,” Anderson adds. Here’s a look at some of the ways other local automakers have responded to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. (This list is a sampling, and many dealers may offer programs not mentioned here. See dealers for more information.) Ford: The Ford Promise program offers the ability to buy or lease an eligible Ford vehicle through Ford Credit. Then, if you face financial hardship due to a job loss, you can return it within one year of purchase. They are also offering 0%APR financ- ing for 72 months. Some dealers offer test drives by appointment with home delivery of the test-drive vehicles. Some Ford facilities in Detroit have doubled as drive-up food pantries. General Motors: Late fees were waived on loan or lease payments through May 31, with automatic lease extensions for one month. Home delivery of new vehicles is offered. The company is producing up to 50,000 masks for front-line work- ers per day at their Warren, Michigan, facility. Hyundai: Online buy- ing, warranty extensions and deferred payments are available, plus special incentives for health work- ers and first responders. Kia : Offering the Click to Buy online buying pro- gram with home delivery of new vehicles from select dealerships. They are also offering 0%APR financing for 72 months. Nissan: Payment assis- tance and deferrals are offered, along with lease extensions. Any late fees incurred betweenMarch 13 andMay 31 were waived. Subaru: In addition to deferred payments and lease extensions, Subaru is offering advice for car own- ers about solving possible problems (battery drain, tire deflation) when vehicles sit unused for long periods of time, such as during a stay- at-home order. Toyota: Shop and buy completely online at partici- pating dealers. Zero-percent financing up to 60 months and 90-day deferrals are available. Some service departments offer no-con- tact drop-off and pickup. Toyota facilities have manufactured or delivered face shields, visors and other health materials to hospitals nationwide. The Toyota USA Foundation awarded $2.5 million in grants to national nonprofits. Financing incentives aren’t new in the auto industry, but with dealer- ships almost unanimous in touting lease extensions and deferred payment, the deals seem to be longer- lasting for the moment. “Incentives, deals and financing rates are good right now,”Anderson says. “This is a good time.Manu- facturers are hungry. Folks have a pretty good opportu- nity right now.” But it won’t last forever, says James Houston, man- aging director of consumer lending and automotive finance for J.D. Power. “These types of programs have been tools [original equipment manufacturers] have used many times over in economic downturns and for inventory control,” he says.“History shows us that automotive sales recover over time, and there will be less need to rely on these types of programs.” Natalie Montanez contrib- uted to this story.