Toyota Takes Over Top Spot Under Cash for Clunkers

The Department of Transportation just sent out some updated figures on the vehicles being scrapped and purchased under the popular cash for clunkers program, which provides up to $4,500 in cash to drivers who trade their gas guzzlers for more efficient vehicles.

Of the $1 billion allocated under the program, $775 million is out the door, catalyzing 184,304 transactions, the department reports.

Six of the top-selling vehicles are foreign, with the Toyota Corolla surpassing the Ford Focus at the top of the list new purchases. The others (in order of popularity) are:  Honda Civic, Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry, Hyundai Elantra, Ford Escape FWD, Dodge Caliber, Honda Fit and Chevrolet Cobalt.

The Transportation Department claims that the average fuel efficiency for the new purchases is 25.3 mpg, while the average mileage for the trade-ins is 15.8 mpg. But the administration is still refusing to release more detailed data surrounding individual transactions.