7. More Incentives

Insecurity in the market will lead to fewer people buying new cars than before. It is no surprise that when car sales drop, incentives increase. GM just ran a long "employee pricing" deal, leading to a sales drop that wasn't as bad as expected, meaning that other automakers may follow suit. We've even seen dealerships running their own employee pricing deals on top of automaker offers. This is especially significant for truck buyers, who may see "owner loyalty" and "special overstock" pricing deals. Make sure to inquire about all available incentives if you're shopping for a car.

6. Fewer Dealerships

5. Lower Financing Costs

For the first time in years Toyota is offering 0% financing on 11 of their models, a sign that the company wants to move inventory. With the exception of super-premium automakers like Ferrari and Maserati, who aren't typically impacted by these market fluctuations, most carmakers rely on selling a large volume of cars and will offer discount financing as a way to get through tough times. If you have good-to-exceptional credit then you may be able to get a great interest rate on a new car loan.

4. Less Easy Credit

While buyers with a solid credit history may get a great deal on a new car loan, those with limited credit histories or average-to-bad credit may not be able to get a loan at all or may have to offer up more proof of their creditworthiness, as banks are taking a greater interest in those who are asking for loans. A finance manager at a dealership in New Hampshire told the local paper that "They're looking at things they never used to look at. We work very hard to get approvals . . . what used to take me nearly two hours maybe will take me two days." Buyers should also expect to spend more time securing a loan than before.

3. More Fuel Efficient Models

When Heard Enterprises closed up shop they blamed their high inventory of trucks and SUVs. Look for more fuel efficient versions of vehicles and smaller cars to take up more space in showrooms. Those looking for fuel-sippers will no longer have to walk to the back of the lot to find something that gets good economy.

2. Less Model Variety

With truck and SUV sales falling it is no longer profitable for most dealers to keep a large variety of those vehicles on the lot when they could have more fuel-efficient models. Those looking for a specific color of truck or a special model sports car may have to look harder and drive further for them. This will become an even larger issue this fall when the 2009 models start arriving at dealerships. [Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

1. Better & Worse Dealership Service

Dealerships will have to decide whether they want to attempt to make cuts in the service departments in order to lower their bottom line or increase customer service in order to retain a larger share of the dwindling new car buyer pool. It isn't clear yet which approach is winning out, though some dealerships have been hiring top employees from recently closed dealerships, a hopeful sign that they may be choosing better service. [Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images]

Conclusion

There's no doubt that consumers with strong credit histories or the cash to buy a new car are going to make a killing. With the floor plan system, new car dealers are paying interest on every car that sits on their lot, giving them a major incentive to find a way to make a sale. On the other hand, fewer dealerships and harder-to-come-by credit will mean new difficulties for car buyers.

[Top Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images]

AutoWeek has fully outed the 2007 Acura Type S, with the go-ahead from Acura, we presume, way ahead of its originally scheduled reveal date of September 1. Last week, if you'll recall, the Boston Globe accidentally broke the publication embargo, effectively opening the online floodgates for news of the Type S's return. As we mentioned earlier, the Type-S — the badge is back after a three-year absence — gets a new 3.5-liter V6 that produces 286 hp and 256 lb.-ft of torque, a firmer suspension and interior and exterior tweaks. That's a jump from the base model's 3.2-liter mill that generates 258 hp. The Type S also gets a new five-speed automatic transmission with a choice of paddle shifters or six-speed close-ratio manual. More pics after the jump.

>> Acura TL Type-S is back [AutoWeek]

Related:
Boston Globe, You're an Embargo Breaker, Newstaker; Don't You Mess Around With Acura [internal]

Looks like Volkswagen's leanings toward badging its new models for the world's nomatic tribesmen are over (sorry Chiefs of the Penan). Rather than pay an identity agency to come up with a name for its upcoming Golf-based SUV, the company asked readers of Germany's AutoBild to come up with a name. The winner? It's Tiguan, a mashup of tiger and leguan (German for iguana). We'd imagine that could be the most conflicted vehicle name since the Ford Ferrethorse GT of the 1950s. [Thanks to Stephan for the tip.]

Gel nde-Golf hei t Tiguan [AutoBild]

Related:
New Volkswagen Small SUV to Built in Germany [internal]

Yesterday, Jaguar introduced its newest all-aluminum hi-po sedan, the XJR Portfolio — fittingly, at the British Motor Show in London. The Portfolio is the production version of the Concept Eight the company showed off in New York in 2004. It'll be available this fall in regular and long-wheelbase versions, both powered by a supercharged 4.2-liter producing a barely-respectable (these days) 400 hp. Still, with a stated zero-to-60 time of 5.0 seconds, the concentration on weight savings makes a more potent mill less necessary than in some steel-heavy luxobarges. That's exactly that kind of apologist's line that proves how much we want Jaguar to survive, if just for the club-room interiors and that aura of olde British respectability. We'll see, mates.

Related:
Jaguar's Daimler Unveils Super Eight Sedan [internal]

Had Volkswagen not fixed a nagging wind noise issue on its new Eos convertible, drivers may have spent their top-down time wondering if they were going mad. Pre-production models were plagued by a kind of whispering sound (faster, faster) that's reportedly been fixed by Webasto, maker of the car''s retractable hardtop — making way for the car's release this May. Now, the only voice the little princesses behind the wheel will hear is that of their personal shopper at Neiman Marcus, coming in loud and clear on the Bluetooth phone.

Quieter Car [AutoWeek]

Related:
Volkswagen to Delay launch of Eos Convertible [internal]

Like "Smokey and the Bandit" was to Kirkegaard's Narrative, the new Daihatsu Gino follows the plotline of the new Mini, however loosely. Just as Bo Darville passed through several stages of maturity before finally settling down with Frog (sorry, Carrie), the Gino has the Mini's approximate shape, copious chrome and bug-eyed headlamps. But where S&B diverged from ol' S ren's study, which explored differing spheres of existence, by including lots of car chases, the Gino may defy the Mini's influence by coming in a five-door version.

Gino what? It's a Mini lookalike! [AutoExpress]

Related:
Groovy, Baby: Radford Coachbuilders Returns With Bespoke Mini Cooper S [internal]

AutoWeek is reporting that the boxy fave of celebs, mercenaries and wannabees alike, the Gelaendewagen, or G-Class, will get a facelift in 2006. We reported last month that Mercedes would not discontinue the long-running G despite launch of the GL, a less-potent, large suburban SUV to be built alongside the M-Class in Alabama, due to strong demand. The G, which is built by Austria's Magna Steyr, will get a new range of engines — likely including the new, AMG-derived 6.3-liter V8 —
plus an interior makeover.

Spared the axe, Mercedes' G-Class to get face-lift next year [AutoWeek]

Related:
Pam Anderson wants a G-wagen, Hold the Cow CarcassFirst Look at the Mercedes G-Class (GL-Class) [internal]