With about two-thirds of the $1 billion allocated for the first wave of "cash for clunkers" vouchers accounted for, sales are concentrated heavily in states north of the Mason-Dixon Line.
Per capita, Minnesota drivers have traded in the most clunkers, bringing in $5.78 of Car Allowance Rebate System cash for every resident of the state. At a voucher average of $4,205, that's 7,178 vehicles. North Dakota and South Dakota were close behind, followed by upper Midwest and New England states.
Whether it's because of less salt on the roads or economies in rough shape, drivers in the Sun Belt and West are trading in far fewer old vehicles. Residents of California, the most populous state, handed over the keys to just 9,495 vehicles, bringing in only $1.09 of clunker cash for each citizen.
(Roll your cursor over the map below to find out how much clunker cash has been remitted to your state.)
The current fund is considered exhausted; a backlog of applications is expected to consume all of what's left and more. A $2 billion refill of the program's coffers is expected to fund an additional 500,000 vehicle purchases.
The mad rush has left dealer lots barren, with inventories at their lowest level since Automotive News began tracking data in 1992. Automakers had been cutting back production for months, and shutdowns during Chapter 11 procedures had already greatly thinned inventory at General Motors and Chrysler.
According to Automotive News, Chrysler had 40 days' worth of cars on Aug. 1, down from 71 on July 1. Ford had shrunk to 48 days, down from 57; GM's inventory was down to 64 days from 82; Toyota was at 29, a drop from 47; and Hyundai was at 43, down from 49.