Nissan, Ford offer Memorial Day weekend discounts

Nissan Motor Co., Japan's third- largest automaker, and Ford Motor Co., the second-largest U.S. automaker, will offer $500 rebates on several car and truck models to boost sales over the U.S. holiday weekend.

Nissan will offer a $500 discount on most of its namesake brand vehicles from today through May 31. The brand's U.S. sales this year through April rose 33 percent from a year earlier as the auto market recovered. The company's inventory of vehicles was at 59 days of sales at the beginning of May, down from 84 days a year earlier, according to Ward's Automotive Reports.

Industrywide sales in May could top a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 11 million because of increased incentives during the three-day weekend, Himanshu Patel, a JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst, said in a May 25 research report.

"We felt it important to remain competitive during the Memorial Day holiday weekend," Al Castignetti, vice president of the automaker's Nissan division in North America, said in an e-mailed statement. "Memorial Day has traditionally been an opportune time to influence potential buyers."

Ford began offering rebates yesterday on the namesake brand's Focus car, Edge sport-utility vehicle and F-150 pickup, in addition to existing discounts, said Robert Parker, a spokesman. The line's U.S. sales rose 36 percent through April. The discounts also apply to the automaker's Lincoln MKS and MKZ sedans and MKT and MKX sport-utilities.

Nissan, based in Yokohama, Japan, lowered on May 20 the 39- month lease rates by $30 on its Infiniti luxury brand's G sedan to $339 a month and G coupe to $389 a month.

Competitors including General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. haven't announced similar discounts.

Ford rose 60 cents, or 5.3 percent, to $11.99 yesterday. The Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker has gained 20 percent this year.

Memorial Day is observed in the U.S. on the last Monday of May to honor those who died while serving in the military.