The world's two largest automakers are having some success in wooing buyers back to the showrooms with interest-free financing offers,

turning around a virtual halt in sales after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, according to the Washington Post.

Auto sales, however, have not reached pre-attack levels, according to industry analysts. Nor are they likely to make up for the decline that dogged the industry even before the tragedies, some industry experts said.

But the new incentives, advertised by General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. late last week, offered the kick start needed to move the metal through the showrooms, according to many analysts. "It's surprising because there was so

much else going on," said Art Spinella, vice president and general manager of CNW Marketing/Research Inc. in Bandon, Ore.

Since GM announced its incentives Sept. 20, auto sales rose to 95 percent of what they were before the attacks, according to Spinella. Between Sept. 11 and Sept. 16, sales had basically stopped, he said.

In a spot survey of showroom customers in 29 markets, 18 percent of those looking at GM and Ford products Sept. 21 through Sept. 23 said they were motivated by the interest-free offers, according to Spinella. The percentage of shoppers who bought cars bounced back to the typical 30 percent range this weekend, after dipping to the teens Sept. 11 through Sept. 20, Spinella said.

The Miller Brothers Chevrolet and Olds Cadillac showroom in Ellicott City, Md., sold 15 cars on Saturday -- nearly double the usual number at this time of year, according to Bob Palmer, the dealership's general manager. Customers came to the dealership citing news reports about the financing deals, Palmer said. "The incentives just seemed to really make the difference," he said. "It just brought smiles to our faces at this very depressing time."

"Market share of North American producers would

have suffered an even greater decline without these [GM and Ford] incentives," said Paul Taylor, chief economist at the National

Automobile Dealers Association (NADA). The incentives also will keep people working in auto plants nationwide and help franchise dealerships survive, according to Taylor.