Best car deals for Labor Day

CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 18:  A Volkswagen Jetta is offered for sale at a dealership on September 18, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has accused Volkswagen of installing software on nearly 500,000 diesel cars in the U.S. to evade federal emission regulations. The cars in question are 2009-14 Jetta, Beetle, and Golf, the 2014-15 Passat and the 2009-15 Audi A3.  (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
2016 Volkswagen Jetta
Deal: 0 percent financing for 60 months, plus $1,500 cash back (CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 18: A Volkswagen Jetta is offered for sale at a dealership on September 18, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois.  Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (Getty Images/Scott Olson)
CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 18:  Volkswagen Passats are offered for sale at a dealership on September 18, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
2016 Volkswagen Passat
Deal: 0 percent financing for 60 months, plus $1,500 cash back (CHICAGO, IL – SEPTEMBER 18: Volkswagen Passats are offered for sale at a dealership on September 18, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) (Getty Images/Scott Olson)
The Ford Focus continues to be the best-selling vehicle nameplate in the world, based on Ford's analysis of the just-released and latest Polk global vehicle registration data through the third quarter of 2013.  (PRNewsFoto/Ford Motor Company) THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED BY PRNewsfoto and is for EDITORIAL USE ONLY**
2016 Ford Focus
Deal: 0 percent financing for 72 months, plus $2,000 cash back (PRNewsFoto/Ford Motor Company)
2014 Ford Fiesta Hatch ST is displayed during the media preview of the Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place in Chicago on Friday, Feb. 7, 2014. Chicago Auto Show will be open to the public February 8 through February 17. (AP photo/Nam Y. Huh)
2016 Ford Fiesta
Deal: 0 percent financing for 72 months, plus $2,000 cash back (2014 Ford Fiesta Hatch ST is displayed during the media preview of the Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place in Chicago on Friday, Feb. 7, 2014.  AP photo/Nam Y. Huh) (AP/Nam Y. Huh)
FILE - In this April 1, 2015 file photo, the 2016 Kia Optima is presented at the New York International Auto Show. Kia’s best-seller in the U.S., the Optima midsize car, gets its first full redesign since 2011. It’s longer, wider and stiffer, and has a bigger interior. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
2016 Kia Optima
Deal: 0 percent financing for 66 months, plus $1000 bonus cash or $2,000 cash back (FILE – In this April 1, 2015 file photo, the 2016 Kia Optima is presented at the New York International Auto Show.  AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) (AP/Mark Lennihan)
2015 HYUNDAI SANTA FE LINEUP OFFERS NEW STANDARD FEATURES, REVISED STEERING AND SUSPENSION TUNING (PRNewsFoto/Hyundai Motor America) THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED BY PRNewsfoto and is for EDITORIAL USE ONLY**
2016 Hyundai Santa Fe
Deal: 0.9 percent financing for 60 months, plus $1,750 cash back (PRNewsFoto/Hyundai Motor America)
This is the Lexus logo on the grill of a Lexus automobile on display at the Auto Show in Pittsburgh Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
2016 Lexus CT Hybrid
Deal: $3,500 cash back (This is the Lexus logo on the grill of a Lexus automobile on display at the Auto Show in Pittsburgh Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) (AP/Gene J. Puskar)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - MARCH 02:  A Lexus logo is displayed during the Geneva Motor Show 2016 on March 2, 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland.  (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images)
2016 Lexus ES
Deal: $3,500 cash back (GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – MARCH 02: A Lexus logo is displayed during the Geneva Motor Show 2016 on March 2, 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland. Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images) (Getty Images/Harold Cunningham)
FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2011 file photo, the Lexus logo is displayed on a Lexus sedan in the showroom at Lexus of Kendall in Miami. Lexus is the most dependable car brand for the fourth consecutive year in J.D. Power’s annual survey, released Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
2016 Lexus GS Turbo
Deal: $5,000 cash back (FILE – In this Aug. 5, 2011 file photo, the Lexus logo is displayed on a Lexus sedan in the showroom at Lexus of Kendall in Miami.  AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File) (AP/Lynne Sladky)
A worker walks past a Toyota car at a Toyota showroom in Tokyo, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. Toyota is recalling 1.43 million vehicles globally for defective air bags that aren’t part of the massive recalls of Takata air bags, the Japanese automaker said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
2016 Toyota Sienna
Deal: 0 percent financing for 60 months or $1,000 cash back
(A worker walks past a Toyota car at a Toyota showroom in Tokyo, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) (AP/Eugene Hoshiko)
Kumar Galhotra, President of Lincoln, left, and Mark Fields, President and CEO, Ford Motor Company, pose with the Lincoln MKX during media previews for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
2016 Lincoln MKX
Deal: 0 percent for 60 months, plus $1,000 cash back (Kumar Galhotra, President of Lincoln, left, and Mark Fields, President and CEO, Ford Motor Company, pose with the Lincoln MKX during media previews for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. AP Photo/Paul Sancya) (AP/Paul Sancya)
BEDFORD, ENGLAND - JUNE 30:  Guests drive an Infiniti Q50 through a slalom as they test the handling during the Infiniti Track Driving Experince at Millbrook Proving Ground on June 30, 2015 in Bedford, England.  (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images for Infiniti Red Bull)
2016 Infiniti Q50
Deal: 0 percent financing for 36 months (BEDFORD, ENGLAND – JUNE 30: Guests drive an Infiniti Q50 through a slalom as they test the handling during the Infiniti Track Driving Experince at Millbrook Proving Ground on June 30, 2015 in Bedford, England. Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images for Infiniti Red Bull) (Getty Images for Infiniti Red Bu/Christopher Lee)
The company logo shines off the hood of an unsold 2007 5-series sedan at a BMW dealership in the south Denver suburb of Littleton, Colo., on Sunday, Sept. 2, 2007.  Luxury automakers BMW, Audi and Mercedes reported healthy sales increases for August on Friday, Sept. 7, 2007, with demand from Asia and the U.S. driving gains amid mixed results in their home markets. BMW AG, the industry's top luxury car company, said its global sales rose 13 percent last month from a year ago, with 99,755 BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce automobiles sold. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
2016 BMW 5-Series Sedan
Deal: 0.9 percent financing for 72 months (The company logo shines off the hood of a 5-series sedan at a BMW dealership in the south Denver suburb of Littleton, Colo., on Sunday, Sept. 2, 2007. AP Photo/David Zalubowski) (ASSOCIATED PRESS/David Zalubowski)
FILE - In this Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, file photo, a Mazda CX-5 is presented at the Paris Motor Show, in Paris. Mazda announced Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, that the company is recalling  nearly 237,000 CX-5 SUVs from the 2014 and 2015 model years because the fuel filler pipe can rupture in a rear crash and cause a gas leak and possible fire. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File)
2016 Mazda CX-5
Deal: Lease $269 per month for 36 months with zero due at signing and zero first month’s payment (FILE – In this Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, file photo, a Mazda CX-5 is presented at the Paris Motor Show, in Paris. AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File) (AP/Remy de la Mauviniere)
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CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 18:  A Volkswagen Jetta is offered for sale at a dealership on September 18, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has accused Volkswagen of installing software on nearly 500,000 diesel cars in the U.S. to evade federal emission regulations. The cars in question are 2009-14 Jetta, Beetle, and Golf, the 2014-15 Passat and the 2009-15 Audi A3.  (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - SEPTEMBER 18:  Volkswagen Passats are offered for sale at a dealership on September 18, 2015 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
The Ford Focus continues to be the best-selling vehicle nameplate in the world, based on Ford's analysis of the just-released and latest Polk global vehicle registration data through the third quarter of 2013.  (PRNewsFoto/Ford Motor Company) THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED BY PRNewsfoto and is for EDITORIAL USE ONLY**
2014 Ford Fiesta Hatch ST is displayed during the media preview of the Chicago Auto Show at McCormick Place in Chicago on Friday, Feb. 7, 2014. Chicago Auto Show will be open to the public February 8 through February 17. (AP photo/Nam Y. Huh)
FILE - In this April 1, 2015 file photo, the 2016 Kia Optima is presented at the New York International Auto Show. Kia’s best-seller in the U.S., the Optima midsize car, gets its first full redesign since 2011. It’s longer, wider and stiffer, and has a bigger interior. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
2015 HYUNDAI SANTA FE LINEUP OFFERS NEW STANDARD FEATURES, REVISED STEERING AND SUSPENSION TUNING (PRNewsFoto/Hyundai Motor America) THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED BY PRNewsfoto and is for EDITORIAL USE ONLY**
This is the Lexus logo on the grill of a Lexus automobile on display at the Auto Show in Pittsburgh Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND - MARCH 02:  A Lexus logo is displayed during the Geneva Motor Show 2016 on March 2, 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland.  (Photo by Harold Cunningham/Getty Images)
FILE - In this Aug. 5, 2011 file photo, the Lexus logo is displayed on a Lexus sedan in the showroom at Lexus of Kendall in Miami. Lexus is the most dependable car brand for the fourth consecutive year in J.D. Power’s annual survey, released Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
A worker walks past a Toyota car at a Toyota showroom in Tokyo, Wednesday, June 29, 2016. Toyota is recalling 1.43 million vehicles globally for defective air bags that aren’t part of the massive recalls of Takata air bags, the Japanese automaker said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Kumar Galhotra, President of Lincoln, left, and Mark Fields, President and CEO, Ford Motor Company, pose with the Lincoln MKX during media previews for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
BEDFORD, ENGLAND - JUNE 30:  Guests drive an Infiniti Q50 through a slalom as they test the handling during the Infiniti Track Driving Experince at Millbrook Proving Ground on June 30, 2015 in Bedford, England.  (Photo by Christopher Lee/Getty Images for Infiniti Red Bull)
The company logo shines off the hood of an unsold 2007 5-series sedan at a BMW dealership in the south Denver suburb of Littleton, Colo., on Sunday, Sept. 2, 2007.  Luxury automakers BMW, Audi and Mercedes reported healthy sales increases for August on Friday, Sept. 7, 2007, with demand from Asia and the U.S. driving gains amid mixed results in their home markets. BMW AG, the industry's top luxury car company, said its global sales rose 13 percent last month from a year ago, with 99,755 BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce automobiles sold. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
FILE - In this Thursday, Oct. 2, 2014, file photo, a Mazda CX-5 is presented at the Paris Motor Show, in Paris. Mazda announced Monday, Feb. 8, 2016, that the company is recalling  nearly 237,000 CX-5 SUVs from the 2014 and 2015 model years because the fuel filler pipe can rupture in a rear crash and cause a gas leak and possible fire. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere, File)

WASHINGTON — Auto manufacturers often use cash back or cheap financing to lure buyers to the lot, but incentives are at records right now, and it’s not uncommon to see a combination of both.

Some Labor Day weekend offers appear extremely generous.

Volkswagen is offering 0 percent five-year financing and $1,500 cash back on a Passat or Jetta. Ford is offering 0 percent financing for six years and $2,000 cash back on its Focus and Fiesta.

Lexus is offering cash back as high as $5,000 on some models, and BMW is offering 0.9 percent financing for six years on its 5-Series Sedan.

“Incentive spending is up by 9 percent year to date and really at an all-time high,” says Larry Dixon with the National Association of Automobile Dealers. “But why incentives are so good around the Labor Day holiday is because manufacturers need to make room for the incoming model units.”

Most of those big incentives are being applied to cars, not SUVs or pickups.

“Car demand is a bit softer than truck demand and discounts are higher on cars than they are on trucks, although there are certainly good deals to be found out there for trucks and utilities,” Dixon said.

Most major auto manufacturers reported weaker than expected August sales, reducing the likelihood that the auto industry will top last year’s record for U.S. sales.

Here’s a short list from NADA of some of this holiday weekend’s best manufacturer incentive offers:

  • 2016 Volkswagen Jetta
    Deal: 0 percent financing for 60 months, plus $1,500 cash back
  • 2016 Volkswagen Passat
    Deal: 0 percent financing for 60 months, plus $1,500 cash back
  • 2016 Ford Focus
    Deal: 0 percent financing for 72 months, plus $2,000 cash back
  • 2016 Ford Fiesta
    Deal: 0 percent financing for 72 months, plus $2,000 cash back
  • 2016 Kia Optima
    Deal: 0 percent financing for 66 months, plus $1000 bonus cash or $2,000 cash back
  • 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe
    Deal: 0.9 percent financing for 60 months, plus $1,750 cash back
  • 2016 Lexus CT Hybrid
    Deal: $3,500 cash back
  • 2016 Lexus ES
    Deal: $3,500 cash back
  • 2016 Lexus GS Turbo
    Deal: $5,000 cash back
  • 2016 Toyota Sienna
    Deal: 0 percent financing for 60 months or $1,000 cash back
  • 2016 Lincoln MKX
    Deal: 0 percent for 60 months, plus $1,000 cash back
  • 2016 Infiniti Q50
    Deal: 0 percent financing for 36 months
  • 2016 BMW 5-Series Sedan
    Deal: 0.9 percent financing for 72 months
  • 2016 Mazda CX-5
    Deal: Lease $269 per month for 36 months with zero due at signing and zero first month’s payment

Jeff Clabaugh

Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for WTOP as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the WTOP newsroom staff in January 2016.

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