You know the ones — the ones that get all the attention, can park just about anywhere, have unique styling and colors, get 38 miles per gallon, offer a ton of cool options, are very safe, and have plenty of room for two people.

The company offers essentially four different models including a convertible (cabriolet) and a limited-availability all-electric model.

For the first time, there are some incredible deals on the smart fortwo cars, including a $99/month lease deal.

The special lease deal is for the lowest priced model, the 2012 smart pure coupe. The deal is $99/month for 36 months and $999 due at signing. Previous best deals were $159 to $169 month. This model comes with standard 5-speed automated manual transmission, eight air bags, stability control, and more.

This is the lowest lease price we’ve ever seen for a 36 month lease on a brand-new car.

The slightly more upscale 2012 smart passion coupe is offered with a $169/month lease, 36 months, $999 due at signing and the 2012 smart passion cabriolet is offered at $199/month, 36 months, $999 due at signing.

All the smart fortwo vehicles (except all-electric) are also offered for purchase with a 0% APR loan rate for up to 60 months.

Additionally, a $1000 loayalty bonus (rebate) is offered for current smart car or Mercedes-Benz vehicle owners.

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Mitsubishi

These incentives come in the form of rebates, 0% APR loans, special lease deals, and loyalty rebates. All deals expire on January 31, 2012.

Let’s take a look at deals on 2012 models first.

2012 Mitsubishi Lancer – 0% APR loan rate for 36 months and $500 rebate for current Mitsubishi or Saturn customers

2012 Mitsubishi Lancer ES CVT – Special lease: $189/month, 24 months, $2388 due at signing

2012 Missubishi Lancer SE 2.5L AWC CVT – Special lease: $189/month, 24 months, $2388 due at signing

2012 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback – 0% APR loan rate for 36 months and $500 loyalty rebate for current Mitsubishi or Saturn customers

2012 Mitsubishi Lancer Sportback ES CVT – Special lease: $196/month, 24 months, $2395 due at signing

2012 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution – 0% APR loan rate for 36 months

2012 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR – Special lease: $349/month, 48 months, $3698 due at signing

2012 Mitsubishi Galant – $3500 factory rebate or 0% APR loan rate for up to 60 months

2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse Coupe  - 0% APR loan rate for 36 months

2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder – 0% APR loan rate for 36 months

2012 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport – 0% APR loan rate for 36 months and $500 loyalty rebate for current Mitsubishi or Saturn customers

2012 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport ES 2WD CVT – Special lease: $219/month, 36 months, $2768 due at signing

2012 Mitsubishi Outlander – 0% APR loan rate for 36 months and $500 loyalty rebate for current Mitsubishi or Saturn customers

2012 Mitsubishi Outlander 2.4 ES 2WD CVT – Special lease: $249/month, 36 months, $2998 due at signing

In addition to the above deals on 2012 models, there are also some excellent deals on left-over 2011 models, as shown below:

A $1000 factory rebate is being offered on the 2011 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport; a $1500 rebate for the 2011 Lancer, Lancer Sportback, and Eclipse Coupe; a $2000 rebate for the 2011 Eclipse Spyder and Outlander; a $3500 rebate for the  2011 Galant; and a $4500 rebate for the 2011 Endeavor.

There are also 0% APR loan rates offered for up to 60 months (36 months on Eclipse) on all the above 2011 models, as well as a $500 customer loyalty rebate on some of the models.

If you read the fine print accompanying the Mitsubishi incentives, you’ll find that the loan and lease deals are available only to customers with “approved credit” which means customers must have a good credit score. It is always a good idea to know your most recent credit score before you visit a dealer regarding one of these deals. It’s easy enough to get your latest credit score online at services such as FreeCreditScore.com.

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Fifty independent auto journalists voted on a number of finalists including not only the Hyundai Elantra but also the Volkswagen Passat and Ford Focus.

This award is like winning an Oscar in the movie business and is significant because the voters are people who really know cars and review them day in and day out.

Hyundai has created a solid reputation for building cars with innovative styling, quality, reliability, safety, and luxury at affordable prices. The award-winning Elantra is no exception.

Special Low-Payment Lease Deal on 2012 Hyundai Elantra – Car of the Year

The best news for automotive consumers is that Hyundai is currently offering the 2012 Elantra GLS with auto transmission at only $179/month with a special lease deal that is good through January, until January 31, 2012.

The deal is based on a reduced capitalized cost (lease price), low money factor (finance rate), and a high lease-end residual value. It is a 36 month lease with 36K miles allowance. It requires a $1820 down payment and $179 first month’s payment, both due at lease signing along with any local taxes and official fees.

LeaseGuide.com has evaluated this deal and gives it a Lease Value Score of 79, which rates as Excellent on a 5-level scale of Poor/Average/Good/Excellent/Outstanding. This is a deal well worth considering and a deal that a customer could not negotiate for themselves.

Hyundai is currently offering other special lease deals on the following vehicles:

2012 Hyundai Accent – $169/month, $1530 down payment

2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring – $199/month, $2000 down payment

2011 Hyundai Equus Signature – $739/month, $2260 down payment, plus up to $3000 bonus cash that would reduce lease payment

2012 Hyundai Equus Signature – $739/month, $4260 down payment

2012 Hyundai Genesis Sedan – $399/month, $2600 down payment, plus up to $3000 bonus cash that would reduce lease payment

2012 Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0 Manual Transmission Standard Package – $259/month, $2440 down payment

If you need to learn more about car leasing and whether it is right for you, please visit LeaseGuide.com for free information and advice.

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Cadillac

Cadillac’s lease deals are interesting in that they are a bit wishy-washy on details. For example, Cadillac states that “dealer sets own price” and “example [of the deal] based on survey” and “lease-end purchase price [residual value] set at time of lease signing” and “your payments may vary.” Normally, when a car company offers special leases, it provides all the specifics and detailed figures in the small print accompanying the advertisement. Not so with Cadillac this month.

We will show you the currently offered Cadillac lease deals, all of which are excellent deals and well worth considering. However, you may find that when you visit your local Cadillac dealer, you may not be able to get exactly the same deal. In that case, you can evaluate the deal, or any lease deal, using this Car Lease Calculator  from LeaseGuide.com. It’ll tell you just how good, or bad, the deal is.

Here are the latest Cadillac special lease deals, already evaluated and rated by LeaseGuide.com.

2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe – $429/month, $0 due at signing, 36 months, 30K miles (Score: 95 Outstanding)

2012 Cadillac CTS Sedan – $399/month, $0 due at signing, 36 months, 30K miles (Score: 98 Outstanding)

2012 Cadillac Escalade- $747/month, $0 due at signing, 36 months, 36K miles (Score: 88 Excellent)

2012 Cadillac SRX w/1SB – $499/month, $0 due at signing, 36 months, 30K miles (Score: 84 Excellent)

Notice that all but the Escalade lease have a 30,000 mile allowance. For 36 months, this translates to only 833 miles per month (1000 miles per month for the Escalade). This is a relatively small mileage allowance and is part of the reason these are such good deals if you only look at the monthly payment and the fact that you pay no cash at lease signing (except for normal taxes and official fees).

Although all the leases rate Excellent or higher the 2012 Cadillac CTS Sedan is the best deal of the group.

So, before you go visit your dealer to accept one of these Cadillac deals, make sure you can live within the mileage allowance. Otherwise, you’ll pay a relatively hefty $0.25 per mile if you exceed the allowance. Also make sure you know your credit score before you go too. The deals are only available to customers with good credit. You can easily see your most recent credit score online from web sites such as FreeCreditScore.com with a quick sign-on.

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BMW

There are 55 different BMW models with special promotional lease deals this month. Five of those are 2011 models, which are the best of all the excellent deals, and the remainder are 2012 models.

All the 2011 model lease deals listed below have been rated Outstanding by LeaseGuide.com on a 5-category scale of Poor/Average/Good/Excellent/Outstanding.

All the 2012 model lease deals listed below have been rated Excellent. This high rating also applies to nearly all the other BMW leases that we haven’t listed.

All deals are for 36 months (except where noted) and 30K miles allowance (except where noted). This translates to only 833 miles per month. If you drive more miles than the allowance, you’ll pay at the rate of $0.20-$0.25 per mile. Before you apply for one of these leases, make sure you can live with the relatively low mileage allowance. These deals expire on January 31, 2012.

With each deal, at lease signing, you’ll pay a down payment, the first monthly payment, and a $750 lease acquisition fee (a standard non-negotiable fee with all car leases). In some cases, the down payment is offset by an allowance or credit (aka, rebate) that totally or partially covers the down payment.

The 2011 BMW models with special leases are as follows:

2011 BMW 328i Sedan – $389/month, $3614 due at signing before $2500 allowance

2011 BMW 328i xDrive – $349/month (33 months), 27.5K miles, $3574 due at signing before $1500 allowance

2011 BMW 335i Sedan – $449/month, $4174 due at signing before $1500 option credit and $2500 allowance

2011 BMW 335i xDrive Sedan – $419/month 933 months), 27.5K miles, $4144 due at signing before $1840 option credit and $1500 allowance

2011 BMW 335d Sedan – $459/month, $3684 due at signing before $3500 ECO credit and $1500 allowance

Make no mistake, the above 2011 model lease deals are truly outstanding deals.

A few examples of the 50 other special lease deals on 2012 models from BMW in January are the following:

2012 BMW 128i Coupe – $369/month, $3594 due at signing

2012 BMW 328i Coupe – $449/month, $3674 due at signing

2012 BMW 335i Coupe – $499/month, $4224 due at signing

2012 BMW 528i Sedan – $599/month, $3224 due at signing

2012 BMW 535i Sedan – $679/month, $3504 due at signing

2012 BMW 550i Sedan – $769/month, $4494 due at signing

2012 BMW 650i Coupe – $899/month, $6624 due at signing

2012 BMW 750i Sedan – $929/month, $5654 due at signing

No other car maker is offering the value and scope of excellent car leases on 2012 models as BMW is offering for January 2012. Also remember that BMW provides 4 years or 50,000 miles of free scheduled maintenance. If you’re even halfway thinking of leasing a BMW, now is a good time to act on it.

One of the “catches” to getting one of these great lease deals is that the deals are only available to “qualified” customers. What this means is that customers must have a good credit score to qualify. Be sure you know your most recent credit score before you set foot in your dealer’s showroom to avoid being surprised with what he knows about you that you don’t know about yourself. It’s easy enough to get your current credit score online and free at web sites such as FreeCreditScore.com. All it takes is a simple sign-on and you can see your score instantly.

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Toyota

Just so that you know, and as we’ve explained before, Toyota’s monthly car deals can vary by region of the country due to the way the company uses different distributors and finance companies. For example, if you live in the Southeast U.S., all Toyota dealers in that area get their cars through Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC in Jacksonville, Florida. If you apply for a loan or lease at a dealership, the distributor’s finance company, Southeast Toyota Finance (SETF), handles it.  And all monthly incentives come from SETF, not directly from Toyota.

Therefore, when we discuss Toyota new-car incentives, our job is made a bit more difficult by the fact that these regional variations exist. However, since all the incentives originate with the Toyota parent company, the variations that come about through different distributors are generally limited to slight differences in monthly payment, down payment requirement, lease term (months), and vehicle style.

For example, in New York a specific lease offer might be $269/month for 36 months, while in Florida the same vehicle might have an offer for $259/month for 39 months. These deals usually evaluate essentially the same. If one is evaluated to be good deal, then the other is a good deal too. It’s just the details that are different, usually not the deal itself.

So with that in mind we now present the current Toyota lease deals for January 2012. All deals are for 39 months, have a 46,800 miles allowance (very generous!), and require $1999 down payment, plus first month’s payment.

2011 Toyota Avalon – $379/month (Rated 70 – Good)

2012 Toyota Camry LE Sedan - $229/month (Rated 78 – Excellent)

2011 Toyota Corolla LE Sedan – $159/month (Rated 83 – Excellent)

2011 Toyota Prius – $249/month (Rated 77 – Excellent)

2011 Toyota Venza – $319/month (Rated 69 – Good)

2011 Toyota Tundra – $339/month (Rated 68 – Good)

2011 Toyota Highlander – $309/month (Rated 73 – Good)

2011 Toyota RAV4 – $239/month (Rated 73 – Good)

2011 Sienna LE – $249/month (Rated 70 – Good)

The ratings on the above Toyota lease deals were made by LeaseGuide.com using the Real Lease Value Calculator.  Ratings can range from below 50 to over 100 and ranked on a 5-category scale from Poor/Average/Good/Excellent/Outstanding. Note that the 2012 Camry and 2011 Corolla score the highest and are the best lease deals of the group. However, even those with a Good rating are better than an average, non-promotional deal and are almost always better than a customer could negotiate for themselves. In other words, these are genuinely good deals for anyone interested in leasing a Toyota vehicle.

One more thing — if you read the fine print associated with these or any other promotional lease deals, you’ll find a statement that says the deals are only available to “qualified lessees” which means “customers with good credit scores.” A “good credit score” can range from 680 to 720, depending on the lease finance company. It’s always wise to know your latest credit score before you visit a dealer for one of these deals.  You can get your score online with a quick sign-up at web sites such as FreeCreditScore.com.

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Unfortunately, car manufacturers don’t even tell their dealers about new special deals and incentives until shortly after the beginning of the new month, after any previous incentive programs have expired.

In this case, all current incentive programs from all car companies end on January 3, 2012. That means dealers, and all of us, won’t know about any new programs until a day, or two, or three after January 3.

However ……. we’ve been around long enough to be able to anticipate the gist of what’s coming with these programs. It’s all based on how a car company’s sales have been going (slow = more incentives), how competitve it needs to be to gain market share, how many of its vehicles are in inventory that must be sold, and how much money the company is willing to risk to gain sales.

So what does this mean for January 2012?

First of all, car companies and dealers still have plenty of left-over 2011 models that must be sold. They can’t sell 2011 models if the price is the same as newer 2012 models. So there will be many excellent incentives on 2011 models, including rebates, factory to dealer cash, low interest rates, and special lease deals.

Next, American car makers Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford have been fighting their way to improved sales since their near-death experiences caused by the recent recession. Some of the best incentives of 2011 have come from these companies and their dealers. 2012 will almost certainly be as good, if not better. They will want to get off to a strong start in January to set the pace for the coming year.

Nobody quite knows when Toyota and Honda will unleash their expected new incentive programs after fully recovering from the March earthquake and tsunami but we don’t expect it be in January 2012, although we do expect it within the next few months. Once their programs begin, other car companies will have to try to compete, which means automotive consumers will see some of the best deals in years.

Don’t expect much in the way of great deals in January from luxury car companies, possibly with the exception of BMW, especially with their great lease deals. But if you’re in the market for a high-end car, price really isn’t that important is it?

Korean car maker Hyundai/Kia is working hard to draw attention to its stylish new vehicles, top-notch quality, and value pricing. To get that attention, we expect to see attractive new incentives beginning in January 2012. This company’s vehicles will be some of the best buys of 2012.

You may know that Mercury closed down in 2011 and there are still Mercury vehicles available for bargain prices. January deals will be even better as dealers try to get rid of every Mercury vehicle. These are good deals because warranties will be honored by Ford dealers and parts will still be available for years.

There may be great deals on Saab vehicles in January now that it has been recently announced that Saab will be filing for bankruptcy soon. Any left-over Saab vehicles will be offered at great prices.

Low-interest loan deals, including 0% APR deals, will continue to be offered widely in January as they have for most of 2011. While the economy remains stagnant and interest rates low, car companies can afford to offer such deals without great risk. As a result, it’s a great time to take out a car loan or lease.

You can get free price quotes on any of the above cars from Edmunds.comThe quotes will automatically include any cash-back rebates or discounts that are currently available.

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Cadillac

The Cadillac lease deals are good for January and February 2011, ending on February 28. All are for 2011 models, 39 months, 10,000 miles/year, and require a down payment.

Here are the current Cadillac lease incentives:

2011 Cadillac CTS Sedan – $349/month, $1949 due at signing

2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe – $349/month, $1949 due at signing

2011 Cadillac DTS Luxury Sedan – $649/month, $4824 due at signing

2011 Cadillac Escalade – $599/month, $4474 due at signing

2011 Cadillac Escalade Luxury AWD – $699/month, $5774 due at signing

2011 Cadillac SRX Luxury – $429/month, $1929 due at signing

2011 Cadillac STS V6 Luxury – $639/month, $4764 due at signing

All of the above deals are rated “Excellent” by the Lease Evaluator in the Lease Kit from LeaseGuide.com .

If you need to learn more about car leasing and how to determine if leasing is right for you, we suggest that you visit LeaseGuide.com where you’ll find a free Lease Guide, lease calculators, and other resources.

Car manufacturer’s help dealers sell last year’s leftover cars and trucks by giving them special factory-to-dealer rebates (which are offered to customers as price discounts) and offering customers direct rebates and low interest loans.

Automobile buyers can save a tremendous amount of money when buying these heavily incentivized leftover vehicles. In many cases, the vehicles are almost exactly the same as the current-year’s models. Furthermore, every vehicle has a full manufacturer’s warranty and lemon-law protection.

Following are some of the best and largest incentives currently being offered on 2010 model-year vehicles:

Acura – 0% APR on most leftover 2010 models

BMW – 2010 BMW 6-Series and M6 – $15,000-$17,500 factory-to-dealer cash (WOW !!!)

Buick – 2010 Buick Lucerne – $4500 rebate and 0% APR loan

Chevrolet – 2010 Chevrolet trucks (most models) – $5000 rebates. 0% APR loan rates on all 2010 models except Camero and Equinox.

Chrysler (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram) – 0% APR loan rates on nearly all remaining 2010 models. Factory-to-dealer cash on 2010 Chrysler 300 – $6500, 2010 Dodge Dakota – $5000, 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee – $5000, 2010 Ram 1500 – up to $6000.

Cadillac – Factory-to-dealer cash on 2010 Cadillac DTS and CTS – $10,000, 2010 Escalade – $8000 (WOW !!!)

Ford – Rebates of $1000-$5000 on most 2010 trucks and SUVs. 0% APR loans on most 2010 models.

GMC – 2010 trucks – $5000 rebates

Mazda – Factory-to-dealer cash on 2010 Mazda CX-9, Mazda6, MX-5 Miata, RX-8 – $3000-$3500

Kia – 2010 Kia Optima, Sedona – $2000-$3000 rebate or 0% APR loan

Mitsubishi – 2010 Mitsubishi Endevor – $4500 rebate or 0% APR loan

Nissan – 2010 Nissan Armada, Titan – $3500-$4500 rebate, 0% APR loan rate on all leftover Nissan 2010 models 

Saab – 2010 9-3 – $5000-$7000 rebate, or 0% APR loan

Toyota -  $1000-$3000 rebates or 0% APR loan rates on most remaining 2010 models. Factory-to-dealer cash – up to $4000 on 2010 Tundra, up to $3000 on 2010 Highlander.

Volvo – Factory-to-dealer cash – 2010 S80, XC70 – $6000 , 2010 C70 – $4000

You can get free price quotes on any of the above vehicles from Edmunds.com.The quotes will automatically include any cash-back rebates or discounts that are currently available.

Listed below are the leases with the lowest monthly payments. In most cases, the leases require a down payment in order to get the low payment. You can always choose to make no down payment but your monthly payments will, of course, be higher. Honda actually offers lease deals both ways – with down payment, and with $0 down payment.

All of the deals shown below have been evaluated as “Excellent” by the Lease Evaluator calculator, which is part of the Lease Kit offered by LeaseGuide.com. These factory-sponsered deals are better than you could negotiate for yourself at a dealer.

Here are some of the current low-payment car lease deals being offered:

2011 Honda Civic DX-VP 4dr Sedan (4cyl automatic) – $139/month, 36 months, $1999 due at signing — or $170/month, $0 due at signing

2011 Nissan Sentra 2.0 SR 4dr Sedan (4cyl CVT) – $139/month, 39 months, $1999 due at signing

2011 Honda Fit 4dr Hatchback (4cyl automatic) – $139/month, 36 months, $1999 due at signing — or $190/month, $0 due at signing

2011 Honda Civic LX 4dr Sedan (4cyl automatic) – $149/month, 36 months, $1999 due at signing — or $200/month, $0 due at signing

2011 Nissan Versa 1.8 S 4dr Hatchback (4cyl automatic) – $159/month, 39 months, $1999 due at signing

2011 Susuki SX4 LE 4dr Sedan (4cyl manual) – $159/month, 39 months, $2004 due at signing

2011 Mitsubishi Lancer ES 4dr Sedan (4cyl CVT) – $169/month, 36 months, $2768 due at signing

2010 Subaru Impreza 2.5i 4dr Sedan AWD (4cyl manual) – $169/month, 42 months, $1477 due at signing

Before you decide to lease, it is important to understand how car leasing works and how to determine if leasing is right for you. We suggest looking at the LeaseGuide.com web site where you’ll find a free Lease Guide, lease vs. buy calculator, and expert advice.

BMW

All incentives expire on February 28, 2011. Most incentives are in the form of very low interest loan rates and special zero-down leases. However, there are a number of rebates as well, and a huge factory-to-dealer cash incentive on the 2010 6-Series and M6.

Following is a summary of the current BMW new-car deals and incentives:

Low-interest loan rates – 1.9% APR for 36 months, 2.9% APR for up to 60 months, and 3.9% APR for up to 72 months. These rates apply to various models of the BMW 1-Series, 3-Series, 5-Series, 7-Series, X5, X6, Z4, M3, X5 M, and X6 M.

Rebates (called “Option Credit” or “Eco Credit”) – 335i Sedan, Coupe, and Convertible ($1305), 335i xDrive Sedan and Coupe ($1840), 335d Sedan ($3500), 335is Coupe ($1495), 740i/740Li Sedan ($3185), 750i/750Li/750 xDrive ($3460), 750i/750Li ActiveHybrid ($7500), X5 xDrive 35d ($3500), X6 ActiveHybrid ($4500).

Special lease deals – Special leases are being offered on every model line. These leases require $0 down payment, although the first month’s payment and official fees are due at signing. All leases are for 36 months, 10K miles per year. The leases are all rated ‘Good’ to ‘Excellent’ by the Lease Evaluator in the LeaseGuide.com Lease Kit. Some of the lowest monthly payments are on the BMW 1-Series ($449-$569/month), and 3-Series ($479-$769/month). BMW Z4 leases are available for $609-$839/month. 

Factory-to-Dealer cash – BMW currently is offering dealers huge factory-to-dealer rebates on the 2010 BMW 6-Series and M6 ($15,000-$17,500). Most if not all of this money is being given to customers as price discounts on these models.

Edmunds.com.The quotes will automatically include any cash-back rebates or discounts that are currently available.

You can get free price quotes on any of the above BMW vehicles from

Mercedes

That being said, Mercedes is currently offering – for January 2011 – a large number of excellent lease deals on specific styles within most model lines. These deals are made possible by a combination of lease price reductions, low money factor (finance fee), and high lease-end residual values.

Here are examples of the current Mercedes-Benz lease incentives for January. There are also other special leases on other models and styles. All these deals are rated “Excellent” by the Lease Evaluator in LeaseGuide.com’s Lease Kit.

2011 Mercedes-Benz M-Class ML350 4MATIC 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 7A) – $539/month, 36 months, $3750 down payment

2011 Mercedes-Benz M-Class ML350 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 7A) – $529/month, 36 months, $3750 down payment

2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C300 Sport 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 6M) – $349/month, 33 months, $2750 down

2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C300 Sport 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 6M) – $439/month, 33 months, $0 down

2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C300 Sport 4MATIC 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl 7A)- $369/month, 33 months, $2825 down

2011 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C300 Sport 4MATIC 4dr Sedan AWD (3.0L 6cyl 7A) – $459/month, 33 months, $0 down

2011 Mercedes-Benz M-Class ML350 BlueTEC 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbodiesel 7A) – $569/month, 27 months, $2500 down

2011 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class SL550 2dr Convertible (5.5L 8cyl 7A) – $1299/month, 36 months, $4999 down

2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class E350 2dr Convertible (3.5L 6cyl 7A) – $749/month, 36 months, $3913 down

2011 Mercedes-Benz S-Class S550 4MATIC 4dr Sedan AWD (5.5L 8cyl 7A) – $1349/month, 36 months, $4999 down

2011 Mercedes-Benz S-Class S550 4dr Sedan (5.5L 8cyl 7A) – $1299/month, 36 months, $4400 down

All the above Mercedes-Benz special lease deals are for 10K miles per year. If you don’t understand car leasing or if it is right for you, please visit LeaseGuide.com .

General Motors

The deals apply to most new 2011 models as well as leftover 2010 models. All deals expire on February 28, 2011.

Following are examples of some of the best current GM new-car deals:

2011 Buick Lucern – $4000 rebate or low interest rate loans

2011 Buick Enclave – $2000 rebate, or 0% APR loan rate up to 60 months — $399/month, 39 months lease deal

2011 Buick Lacrosse CX - $309/month, 39 months lease deal

2011 Buick Regal CXL – $249/month, 39 months lease deal

2011 Cadillac (most models/styles) – 1.9%-4.9% loan rates — $7000 factory-to-dealer cash on DTS and STS models

2011 Chevrolet – rebates $1500 to $3500, or 0% APR loans on most models — up to $5000 factory-to-dealer cash on Corvette, Impala, HHR (up to $2000 on Aero, Colorado, Malibu)

2011 GMC – rebates $1500-$2500 on most models, or low-interest loans (including some 0% APR) on many models

2010 Buick Lucern – $4500 rebate, or low-interest loan rates

2010 Buick Enclave, Lacrosse – $2000 rebate, or 0% APR loan

2010 Chevrolet trucks – $5000 on most models

2010 Chevrolet Corvette, HHR, Impala – up to $4000 rebate or 0% APR loan rate

2010 GMC – up to $5000 rebate or 0% APR loan rate on most models

2010 Cadillac DTS, STS – $10,000 factory-to-dealer cash

2010 Cadillac Escalade – $8000 factory-to-dealer cash

2010 Cadillac Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT, and CTS – up to $7000 factory-to-dealer cash

These are excellent deals being offered by General Motors for January 2011, as well as for February.

You can get free price quotes on any of the above General Motors vehicles from Edmunds.com.The quotes will automatically include any cash-back rebates or discounts that are currently available.

The incentives arrive in the form of  direct customer cash rebates, low-interest loan rates, including many 0% APR on 72 month loans, lease cash bonuses, and factory-to-dealer cash (marketing support).  These deals expire on January 31 and apply to Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram vehicles.

As you may already know, incentives can vary from region to region, and by styles within model lines. You can accept either a rebate or low-interest (including 0%) loan, but not both. Factory-to-dealer cash is typically used by dealers to discount prices to customers.

Chrysler has not returned to leasing in a strong way yet. Most of its current lease incentives are simply modest rebates or cash bonuses, which typically are not enough to make especially attractive lease deals. 

Following are examples of the new incentives:

2011 Chrysler 200 Touring and Limited - $750 rebate or 0% APR for 36 months, and $750 lease bonus

2010 Chrysler 300, Town & Country, PT Cruiser, Sebring – 0% APR for up to 72 months — up to $6500 factory-to-dealer cash

2011 Dodge Nitro – $2500 rebate

2011 Dodge Caliber – 0% APR loan rate for up to 60 months, $1500 rebate on some styles

2011 Dodge Journey – 0% APR loan rate up to 60 months

2011 Dodge Dakota – 0% APR for up to 72 months — $4500 factory-to-dealer cash

2011 Dodge Challenger – 1.9% APR loan rate

2010 Dodge Challenger – $2000 rebate or 1.9% APR loan rate — up to $4000 factory-to-dealer cash

2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee – 1.9% APR loan for up to 60 months — $359/month special lease deal for 36 months

2011 Jeep Liberty – $2500 rebate or 0% APR loan for up to 60 months — lease with $2500 rebate plus $500 bonus cash

2011 Jeep Compass and Patriot – $1000 rebate (some styles) or 0% APR loans for up to 60 months

2010 Jeep Commander and Grand Cherokee – $4500-$5000 factory-to-dealer cash

2010 Jeep Liberty – $3000-$3500 factory-to-dealer cash

2010 Jeep Compass, Patriot, and Wrangler – up to $3000 factory-to-dealer cash

2011 Ram 1500 Big Horn Crew Cab – $2000 rebate plus $2500 bonus

2011 Ram 1500, 2500/3500 – $1000-$2000 rebate or 0% APR for 36 months (up to 60 months on some styles)

2010 Ram 1500 – $3000- $6000 factory-to-dealer cash, depending on style

Overall, these January 2011 car and truck deals from the Chrysler Group are a great way to start the new year. It shows that the company wants to make a strong statement in 2011 not only with excellent incentives but a number of exciting model changes, such as those with the new Chrysler 300.

You can get free price quotes on any of the above Chrysler Group vehicles from Edmunds.com.The quotes will automatically include any cash-back rebates or discounts that are currently available.

Honda

As usual, Honda offers good deals each month on most it models with the popular Odyssey being the only exception this month. In fact, we don’t expect to see any incentives on the Odyssey any time soon. You can, however, negotiate a price discount from your dealer, as you should be able to do with any incentive.

Following are the current Honda low-interest incentives for January and February 2011:

Honda Civic Coupe, Sedan, Hybrid, Si Coupe, and Si Sedan – 0.9% APR interest rate for 24-60 months

Honda Accord Coupe and Sedan – 0.9% APR interest rate for 24-60 months

Honda CR-V -  0.9% APR interest rate for 24-60 months

Honda Element – 1.9% APR interest rate for 24-36 months, or 2.9% APR for up to 60 months

Honda Insight – 0.9% APR interest rate for 24-60 months

Honda Pilot – 0.9% APR interest rate for 24-36 months, or 1.9& APR for up to 60 months

Honda Fit – 0.9% APR interest rate for 24-60 months

Special lease deals, including some “sign-and-drive” deals, are being offered on selected models and styles. All are for 36 month terms, 12K miles per year. Listed here are the lease incentives for January 2011 and February 2011:

Honda Civic LX Sedan – $200/month, $0 first month, $0 down, $0 security deposit, or $149/month, $1999 due at signing

Honda Accord LX Sedan – $199/month, $1399 due at signing, or $270/month, $0 due at signing

Honda Accord LX-S Coupe – $199/month, $3499 due at signing, or $300/month, $0 due at signing

Honda CR-V 2WD LX – $219/month, $1999 due at signing, or $270/month, $0 due at sigining

Honda CR-V 4WD LX – $280/month, $0 due at signing

You can get free price quotes on any of the above cars from Edmunds.com.The quotes will automatically include any cash-back rebates or discounts that are currently available.

Car manufacturers and their finance companies are gaining more confidence in leasing, consumer credit has loosened, and residual values are climbing for most vehicles. This means more leases on more car models for more people. Leasing is returning to levels not seen since the “crash” of 2008-2009.

Although we can’t tell you exactly what the lease deals will look like a month from now, or a few months from now (car dealers and manufacturers don’t know either), we can see the proverbial handwriting on the wall.

A number of car makes and models have recently been upgraded in terms of future resale values, which translates into higher lease residual values, which means lower lease payments for those vehicles.

Automotive Lease Guide (ALG), in November, rated the following 2011 vehicles as having the highest residuals (as a percentage of MSRP):

• Mazda Mazdaspeed3 and Mazda 3
• Audi S5
• Landrover Range Rover Sport
• MINI Cooper and John Cooper Works
• Subaru Impreza Outback
• Chevrolet Camaro
• Kia Sportage

Additionally, other car brands and models that are good lease vehicles — because of high residual values — are as follows:

• Honda (most models)
• BMW 1-Series, 3-Series, and 5-Series
• Chevrolet Corvette
• Hyundai Sonata
• Infiniti G37
• Jaguar
• Mercedes C-Class, E-Class, and M-Class
• Subaru Forester
• Toyota Camry
• Volkswagen Jetta and New Beetle

For a complete list of vehicle makes and models with lease ratings, see the Lease Kit available at LeaseGuide.com.

Most car makers, even American manufacturers, will continue to offer special promotional leases in 2011. These deals are usually only good until the end of the month in which they are announced. 

Honda, Acura, Infiniti, BMW, Hyundai, Toyota, Kia, Mercedes, and Volkswagen almost always have special lease deals each month on selected models and styles. These are generally excellent leases with low payments that customers would not be able to negotiate on their own. Many of the deals require no down payment.

If you need help understanding car leasing and whether it’s right for you, please visit LeaseGuide.com.

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Since cars typically don’t change much from one model year to the next, a dealer with both 2009 models and similar 2010 models sitting on his lot has to make the 2009 models attractive to potential customers. How does he do it? He and the manufacturer offer incentives that significantly reduce the cost of the older models. The incentives can be direct customer rebates, price discounts, low-interest (or zero interest) loans, and factory-to-dealer cash.

Because of the incentives being offered on the leftover models, some great deals can be had without a lot of messy negotiating.

What’s the catch?

If there’s a catch, it is that dealers may not have exactly the model, style, and color you want in their inventory of leftover 2009 cars. You might have to be a little flexible since your choices may be limited. Since different dealers have different leftover styles and colors, you could shop around to try to find the model that best fits your needs.

 Here are examples of some of the best deals currently being offered on leftover 2009 vehicles:Nissan - Customer cash rebates of $1250-$5000 or 0% APR loans on most 2009 models

Infiniti – 0% APR loan rates on 2009 Infiniti G37

Mazda – $1000-$5000 rebates, or low-interest loans on many 2009 models

Kia – $1500-$5000 customer rebates on most 2009 models, depending on the model

Suzuki – $1000-$4000, or 0% APR loan rate on most 2009 models

Acura – Low-interest loans on 2009 Acura MDX, TL, and TSX

Honda – Low interest loans on 2009 Honda Odyssey and Pilot

Buick – $2500-$4500, or 0% APR loans on most 2009 models

Cadillac – $3000-$10,000 rebates, or 0% APR loans on most 2009 models, depending on model

Chevrolet – $1500-$4000 rebates, or 0% APR loan rates on most 2009 models, depending on model

GMC – $1500-$4000 rebates, or 0% APR loans on most 2009 models

Hummer – $6000 rebate on 2009 Hummer  H3, $3500 on H3T, or 0% APR loan rate – $5000 dealer cash on 2009 Hummer H2 and H2 SUT

Pontiac – $4000 rebate, or 0% APR loan on most 2009 models

Saab – $7500 rebate, or 0% APR loan on 2009 Saab 9-3, 9-5, and 9-7X

Saturn – $4000 rebate, or 0% APR loan on 2009 models

You can get free price quotes on any of the above vehicles from Edmunds.com.The quotes will automatically include any cash-back rebates or discounts that are currently available.

However, BMW offers “back door” price discounts by giving dealers money (“dealer cash” or “marketing support”) in the form of factory-to-dealer rebates on certain models during a promotion period. Dealers can use the money for advertising or sales events but most, if not all, of the money goes back to customers in the form of price discounts.

Currently, BMW is offering some incredibly large factory-to-dealer incentives, good during January and February 2010, ending on March 1, 2010.

Let’s look at some of the BMW dealer rebates:

2010 BMW M6 – $12,000 dealer cash

2010 BMW 6-Series – $10,000 dealer cash

2010 BMW 5-Series and M5 – $7500 dealer cash

2009 BMW 6-Series and M6 – $10,000 dealer cash

2009 BMW 7-Series – $7500 dealer cash

2009 BMW X5 and X6 – up to $5500 dealer cash

2009 BMW Z4 – $5000 dealer cash

2009 BMW 3-Series and M3 – up to $4500 dealer cash

2009 BMW X3 – $3500 dealer cash

2009 BMW 1-Series – up to $3500 dealer cash

You can get free dealer price quotes on any of the above BMW vehicles from Edmunds.com.The quotes will automatically include any cash-back rebates or discounts that are currently available.

Nissan

There are customer rebates, low-interest loans, 0% loans, and a few good lease deals. The lease deals are genuinely good deals except that only a few models and styles have the deals. So, if you like the model/stye being promoted, you can get an excellent car lease without further negotiations.

All the current Nissan deals end on 2/1/2010.

Here are some examples of the new Nissan deals:

2010 Nissan Altima – $1000 rebate, or 1.9% APR loan for 12/24/36/48/60 months — or a special lease deal on the 2.5S CVT sedan ($189 a month, 39 months, 12K miles per year, and $2889 due at signing) or a special lease deal on the 2.5S CVT coupe ($269 a month, 36 months, 12K miles per year, and $2999 due at signing).

2010 Nissan Pathfinder – $2500 rebate, or 0.9% APR loan rate for 12/24/36 months, 1.9% for 48/60 months — or a special lease deal on the Pathfinder S 4WD model ($329 a month, 39 months, 12k miles per year, $2999 due at signing)

2010 Nissan Versa – $750 rebate, or 1.9% APR loan for 12/24/36/48/60 months

2009 Nissan Versa – $1250 rebate, or 0% APR loan for 12/24/36 months, 1.9% for 48/60 months

2010 Nissan Sentra – $500 rebate, or 0.9% APR loan rate for 12/24/36/48/60 months — or a special lease deal on the Sentra 2.0 SR model ($149 a month, 39 months, 12 miles per year, $2449 due at signing)

2009 Nissan Rogue – $1250 rebate, or 1.9% for 12/24/36/48/60 months

There are similar deals on most other Nissan models. Special lease deals are available for certain models of the Nissan Rogue, Murano, Maxima, Frontier, Armada, and Cube (2009 model).

You can get free price quotes on any new Nissan vehicles from Edmunds.com.The quotes will automatically include any cash-back rebates or discounts that are currently available.

Ford’s

There are some decent customer rebates, but the best news are the zero percent loans on their new 2010 models. All the current deals expire on 2/1/2010.

As you probably know, you can’t take both a rebate and a low-interest loan. You have to choose one or the other.

Here are some of the current Ford deals. These are all on 2010 models except where noted.

Ford Edge – $2000 rebate, 0% APR loan rate for 36/48/60 months

Ford Escape – $2000 rebate, 0% APR loan rate for 36/48/60 months

Ford Expedition – $2000 rebate, 0% APR loan rate for 36months, 0.9% for 48 months, 1.9% for 60 months

Ford Explorer – $2000 rebate, 0% APR loan rate for 36months, 0.9% for 48 months, 1.9% for 60 months

Ford F150 – $2000 rebate, 0% APR loan rate for 36 months, 3.9% for 48 months, 4.9% for 60 months

2009 Ford F150 – $3000 rebate, 0% APR loan rate for 36/48/60 months

Ford Flex – $1500 rebate, 0% APR loan rate for 36 months, 0.9% for 48 months, 1.9% for 60 months

Ford Focus – $1500 rebate, 0% APR loan rate for 36 months, 4.9% for 48 months, 5.9% for 60 months

Ford Fusion – $1000 rebate, 0% APR loan rate for 36 months, 2.9% for 48 months, 3.9% for 60 months

Ford Mustang – $500 rebate, 0% APR loan rate for 36/48/60 months.

Ford Taurus – 0% APR loan rate for 36months. 2.9% for 48 months, 3.9% for 60 months

You can get free dealer price quotes on any of the above cars from Edmunds.com.The quotes will automatically include any cash-back rebates or discounts that are currently available.