US car dealers also getting in on the Black Friday act

New York

THE Jacky Jones Lincoln dealership had a message for Black Friday shoppers: After picking up that big-screen TV, stop by and lease an MKZ for US$299 a month.

"We have better deals than normal," said John Greene, general manager at the store in Gainesville, Georgia. "Car manufacturers are just like everyone else. They want to sell as much product as they can during the holidays." Black Friday, once associated with big-box retailers and shopping malls, has become a critically important day on the automotive sales calendar. Heavy discounting can undermine profit, whether you're General Motors or Wal-Mart Stores. Given robust demand for automobiles and rising prices, the deals are unlikely to hurt carmaker's margins, analysts say. Even so, they might pull sales forward from December.