700 000 sales were recorded as part of the rebate programme to buy a new car in exchange for the destruction of an old one.
Designed to support the automotive industry, but also to replace older polluting vehicles with new, efficient models, the programme cost $3 billion US.
The programme offered buyers up to $4 500 to purchase a new car, and the average amount paid per sale was $2 877.
The incentive enabled Ford and General Motors to jump start production lines in order to meet consumer demands. The Department of Transportation even suggested that 42 000 jobs were preserved or created through the measure.