Chrysler's 'Lets Refuel America' offer a dud?

Chrysler updated its $2.99 per gallon ‘Let’s Refuel America’ fuel offer late last month to extend through until July but the incentive program has proven to be a flop despite fuel prices continuing to rise. The program offers buyers of particular Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep models a locked in fuel price of $2.99 per gallon for the next three years or alternative cash back and low interest finance packages, but the carmaker’s sales continue to tumble – dropping 25% last month.

The only carmaker to performance worse than Chrysler was GM, whose sales declined 30% but were severely hampered by a major supplier strike. Furthermore, only about 5-10% of customers opted for the fuel offer, meaning the majority stuck with the conventional cash rebate or low-interest financing, according to a report byEdmunds.

The program created plenty of excitement in its first few weeks, with Chrysler’s official website getting swamped with visitors. However, a major problem that led to the incentive’s failure is the perception that Chrysler has one of the least fuel-efficient fleets, so those buyers interested in saving on their fuel bills won’t be looking at Chrysler vehicles in the first place.

Despite the poor results, Chrysler executives are happy with the response, claiming sales reflected the industry’s performance, and are now even considering making the fuel offer a permanent incentive to be used alongside cash back and low finance packages.