Chrysler has a $2.99-a-gallon gas deal for buyers

By Chris Woodyard

USA TODAY

As presidential candidates spar over how to roll back gasoline prices, Chrysler has come up with its own plan to bring back $2.99 gas, which it hopes will spur lagging sales.

Chrysler announced a monthlong “Let’s Refuel America” program Monday that will give buyers of most of its vehicles a card good for purchases of gasoline or diesel fuel that locks in the price at $2.99 a gallon for three years.

The total amount of fuel that can be bought at the locked-in price will be computed on the basis of the new vehicle’s federal miles-per-gallon rating and 12,000 miles of driving a year. The card is good for purchases of 87-octane regular gasoline, E85 gas-ethanol blend or diesel fuel.

Chrysler’s fixed-fuel price also comes with up to $3,000 in “bonus cash,” depending on the model.

Chrysler’s sales plummeted 23.5 percent in April, compared with the same month last year, the worst drop for any major automaker, according to Autodata.

The gas program is good for vehicles bought through June 2 at its 3,511 Jeep, Chrysler and Dodge dealerships in the U.S.

It covers a variety of models, ranging from its compacts, such as the Dodge Caliber — which is assembled in Belvidere — to large SUVs, such as the Jeep Commander.

Excluded are the just-introduced Dodge Challenger, all SRT performance models, the Jeep Wrangler and a few other niche models.

Loading commenting interface...