Consumers are still buying discounted cars and trucks at a pace that defies Wall Street's bearish expectations, according to a June 25 story by David Kiley in USA Today.

Vehicles are selling in June at an annual rate of about 17 million, Wall Street firms say. Sales are being helped by General Motors' incentive program that allows people to get out of GM leases early if they buy or lease a new GM product. According to GM, more than 40,000 lease holders will have taken advantage of the deal by month's end.

Without GM's program, sales would be running at a more moderate 16.4 million rate, according to Goldman Sachs analyst Gary Lapidus.

Analysts don't know yet how much the program will cost. Lapidus says GM may end up spending more money to book sales that would have come later anyway.

It is a windfall for consumers, who not only get a new car ahead of schedule but can avoid exceeding a lease's mileage limit.

The big plus for GM: Cars come off lease in the summer instead of winter, when, GM research shows, resale value falls because the new models are coming out. And not to be overlooked is the fact that GM retains 100 percent of the customers who take advantage of the program.

Ford Motor is trying a similar but limited program, offering an early out on a Windstar minivan lease to those who buy another Windstar.

DaimlerChrysler doesn't have an early-out lease plan, but officials are watching GM's results closely and may try a program specifically aimed at slow-selling models, according to USA Today.