The federal government has completed the vehicle purchasing section of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, spending $287 million on vehicles made by the Detroit Three. In all, the U.S. General Services Administration ordered more than 17,000 vehicles from the Detroit automakers.
Fittingly, Ford – the only automaker not to have received a government bailout – received the most government orders. The federal government racked up a $129 million bill with Ford, ordering 7,942 new vehicles. GM came in second with 6,348 vehicle orders for $105 million, with Chrysler tallying 2,993 orders for $53 million, according to Automotive News.
The government used part of its spending spree to help GM clear out its unwanted inventory. The government ordered 1,250 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid sedan, 50 Saturn Vue Hybrid SUVs and 917 Pontiac G6 sedans – all vehicles that will be discontinued for the 2010 model year.
The government purchases included mostly fuel efficient vehicles – such as the Ford Escape Hybrid and Ford Focus – but also included some much thirstier vehicles such as the Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado. However, per the terms of the program, the new purchases must improve the government’s fleet fuel economy average by at least 10 percent.
Fleet vehicles being replaced will be sold at auction with the proceeds set to be funneled back to ARRA.
