Zero percent loans, cash rebates, and other incentives to lure new-vehicle buyers into dealership showrooms dropped in October compared to September's record levels, according to Reuters, which quoted industry industry research firm Autodata.

The industry's average incentive was $2,715 per vehicle in October, according to Autodata. That was about $202 less than September, when Detroit's Big 3 were still carrying many 2003 models on dealership lots, Reuters reported.

Of the six largest automakers, General Motors Corp. offered the largest average deals at $3,980 per vehicle. DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler group was close behind at $3,768, and it bucked the trend as the only large automaker to raise incentives from September -- a contributor to its 11 percent increase in sales from October 2002, Reuters noted.

Ford Motor Co. offered $3,054 per vehicle, a 15 percent drop from September, likely on the strength of its new F-150 pickup, according to Reuters.

Most industry analysts believe the incentive drop is temporary, as it was last year before the Big 3 boosted deals again in a year-end sales push, Reuters noted.

"We think Big 3 incentives are on track to ... begin rising again in November, with further escalation in December, which should give a lift to the industry selling rate in the months ahead," Credit Suisse First Boston analyst Chris Ceraso said in a research note, according to Reuters.

Reuters noted that Asian automakers not only spent far less but managed to reduce their incentives by 14 percent from September. Honda Motor Co. Ltd. spent $531 per vehicle, Toyota Motor Corp. averaged $808 per sale, and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. offered $1,502, according to Autodata.