Automotive Loan Trends are quite fun to study. There is no more interesting trend than the zero-zero auto loans of 2001-2003. But these types of no money down loans were found in many competing markets for consumer purchases. The cars boats and barbecues were bought with credit cards and short-term loans. The cars were bought because of the zero, zero percent financing deals from companies such as Chrysler motor acceptance Corp., Ford Motor credit, GMAC, Toyota motor credit and Honda acceptance.
One company, Mitsubishi even offered zero, zero, zero, in other words no money down, no payments until 2003 and no interest. They were able to do this because the Japanese yen fell to a point Well below the U.S. dollar. This of course had other ramifications, with the Japanese imports being able to sell for less, their profit margins were higher any were able to build new manufacturing facilities, spend more money on research and development in the latest technologies of fuel cell and highbred vehicles and spend more money on promotion; and that is exactly what they did. Since this was happening at the same time that the Chinese were pirating our patented parts;