The outcome of the Cash for Clunkers program

An interesting look at the numbers from Google/Associated Press:

Clunkers aid Ford, Toyota sales; GM, Chrysler fall
The Cash for Clunkers program boosted sales at Ford, Toyota and Honda in August as consumers snapped up their fuel-efficient offerings, but rivals Chrysler Group LLC and General Motors Co. withstood another month of falling sales.

The program, which ended on Aug. 24, drew hordes of buyers into quiet showrooms by offering up to $4,500 toward new, more fuel-efficient cars and trucks. The hefty rebates gave automakers and dealers a much-needed lift, spurring 690,114 new sales, many of them during August, at a taxpayer cost of $2.88 billion.

Let's see - GM and Chrysler get Government bailouts. Ford refuses it. The Asian companies keep doing what they do best -- listening to their customers and making a quality product. The invisible hand of the marketplace reveals itself again...