Dearborn, MI - Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) made the following remarks after the Department of Transportation announced the final numbers on the CARS program (also known as “cash-for-clunkers”). The CARS program came to a close Tuesday night with nearly 700,000 clunkers taken off the roads, replaced by far more fuel efficient vehicles. Rebate applications worth $2.877 billion were submitted by the 8 p.m. deadline, under the $3 billion provided by Congress to run the program:

“The numbers make your head spin: nearly 700,000 cars sold, a boost to economic growth in the third quarter of 2009 by 0.3-0.4 percentage points at an annual rate thanks to increased auto sales in July and August, and creating or saving 42,000 jobs. Those figures clearly confirm the CARS program did exactly what it was designed to do – stimulate our economy. I met today with some of the auto dealers in my district and they were quite pleased with the numbers of people who came into showrooms for a look at some of the newest, fuel-efficient vehicles and the dramatic sales increases as well. Also, this turnover will create a 58 percent improvement in fuel economy for the cars now on America’s roads. President Obama, Secretary LaHood and the Members of Congress who helped make this program work deserve tremendous praise. I also want to congratulate Ford on the great success of the Focus during this period. GM and Chrysler can also feel good about reaction from Americans to their newest models.”

As mentioned above, the Congressman met with automotive dealers from the 15th Congressional District today in order to discuss how the domestic automotive industry’s ongoing restructuring is affecting them. The meeting, which took place at Dick Genthe Chevrolet in Southgate, Michigan, provided a forum for dealers to express thoughts and concerns they have about the state of the American auto industry and dealer franchise terminations. Congressman Dingell made the following remarks at the conclusion of the meeting:

“I have long enjoyed a good relationship with auto dealers in my district, and it is my hope that today’s discussion strengthened that relationship and provided them with some comfort that Washington is not turning a blind eye to their needs. Auto dealers are a critical component of any community, and their thoughts and concerns, just as those of auto manufacturers or suppliers, deserve recognition and require effort in good faith by lawmakers to address, where necessary and prudent.”

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