Hyundai, Toyota, and Nissan Splurge on Incentives

General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler have traditionally spent the most on incentives among the top U.S. automakers, and continue to do so. But Hyundai, Nissan, and Toyota are catching up in a major way.

Hyundai's incentive spending has increased 61% since 2007, from an average of $1,861 per vehicle to $2,998. Nissan's spending went up 19% since 2008, to $2,511 this year. And Toyota, which has especially been struggling in this market, jumped from only $853 per unit to $1,620.

But that's not the only good news for car shoppers. Chrysler's sales have decreased by 40% this year, so it also has to resort to making great deals to attract consumers. Its incentive spending is the highest from the top automakers this year, at $4,584 per car.

Now that Cash for Clunkers is over, car manufacturers are really pushing incentives as a way to get people to buy. Overall, they have spent an average of $2,797 last month - up from $2,474 in August - and the upward trend is likely to continue.