The US Department of Transportation has signed new buyer incentive programme ‘Car Allowance Rebate System’ (CARS), which provides monetary help to consumers that wish to buy more fuel efficient vehicles.

The purchase or lease of a new car or truck that meets the necessary criteria will be award up to $4,500 through the Car Allowance Rebate System.

The CARS will be implemented by the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The main aim of this initiative is to get safer, pollution free, efficient vehicles on US roads.

It also focuses on eradicating older, less efficient vehicles from the roads, and vehicles traded under this programme will be permanently disabled and/or scrapped.

The rebate will be awarded to cars at cost of about $45,000 while the maximum rebate can be obtained if the car has an economy rating of at least 10 miles-per-gallon more than traded.

The programme will be implemented either until 1 November 2009 or until the Department of Transportation exhausts the funds set aside for the programme.