| -

DETROIT — The economy may appear to be headed toward a rebound, but the retail auto segment remains a "buyer's market," with automakers offering heavy incentives, according to AOL Autos, which recently released its Best May Deals list.

"Even with clear signs of economic recovery, consumers are still enjoying a buyer's market in dealership showrooms," AOL Autos correspondent Gary Hoffman wrote. "There are even big substantial incentives on popular compact cars, especially older generations like the Ford Focus and Chevy Cobalt."

Not to mention, with Toyota's fallout from recalls, General Motors has taken advantage and gone after its owners in an attempt to gain conquest sales.

"In another sign of fierce competition in the auto industry, General Motors continues to pursue Toyota customers in the wake of the Japanese automaker's recall woes," Hoffman noted. "In most cases, owners of Toyotas and Lexus models are still eligible for an extra $1,000 rebate, on top of GM's normal offers during May.

"For its part, Toyota tends to offer special interest rates instead of rebates, although it is not afraid to tack a cash sweetener onto its financing deals," he continued. "In much of the country, for example, you can find some Toyota Tundra models featuring zero-percent financing for 60 months, sometimes with an additional rebate of $500 or $1,000."

The complete list of Best May Deals, as provided by AOL Autos, is as follows:

Compact Cars

Nissan Sentra
$1,500 or $2,000 cash back or zero-percent financing for up to 60 months or 1.9-percent for up to 72 months.
MSRP: $15,420 – $20,080
Invoice: $14,794 – $18,725
Fuel Economy: 31 mpg Hwy, 24 mpg City 

Mitsubishi Lancer
$1,500 cash back or zero-percent for 60 months plus $500 back.
MSRP: $14,790 – $27,190
Invoice: $14,090 – $25,904
Fuel Economy: 31 mpg Hwy, 22 mpg City 

Chevrolet Cobalt
$3,000 cash back or zero-percent financing for up to 60 months.
MSRP: $14,990 – $24,535
Invoice: $14,390 – $23,554
Fuel Economy: 35 mpg Hwy, 25 mpg City 

Ford Focus
$2,000 to $2,500 cash back or low-rate financing starting at zero-percent financing for 36 months or longer, sometimes with extra cash back. ("Or for a longer term, Ford's 2.9 percent deal over 60 months will likely save you $1,000 on interest, presuming you finance two thirds of the price," according to the site.)
MSRP: $16,290 – $18,780
Invoice: $15,387 – $17,489
Fuel Economy: 35 mpg Hwy, 24 mpg City 

Family Cars  

Mitsubishi Galant
$3,500 cash back or zero-percent for 72 months.
MSRP: $21,599 – $23,999
Invoice: $20,379 – $22,643
Fuel Economy: 30 mpg Hwy, 21 mpg City 

Honda Accord
0.9-percent for 24 to 36 months or 1.9-percent for 37-60 months.
MSRP: $21,055 – $29,305
Invoice: $19,101 – $26,556
Fuel Economy: 31 mpg Hwy, 22 mpg City 

Nissan Altima
$1,000 cash back or zero-percent for 36 months, 0.9-percent for 60 months.
MSRP: $19,900 – $30,100
Invoice: $19,078 – $27,888
Fuel Economy: 32 mpg Hwy, 23 mpg City 

Ford Fusion
$2,000 cash back or low-rate financing starting at zero-percent for 36 months.
MSRP: $19,695 – $28,355
Invoice: $18,433 – $26,030
Fuel Economy: 31 mpg Hwy, 22 mpg City 

Sports Cars 
Mitsubishi Eclipse
$3,000 cash back or zero-percent for 60 months.
MSRP: $20,699 – $28,089
Invoice: $19,574 – $26,563
Fuel Economy: 28 mpg Hwy, 20 mpg City 

Ford Mustang
$2,000 to $3,000 cash back or zero-percent for 36 months, 0.9-percent for 48 months, sometimes with extra cash back.
MSRP: $21,395 – $36,395
Invoice: $19,906 – $33,406
Fuel Economy: 26 mpg Hwy, 18 mpg City 

Mazda RX-8
3.9-percent for up to 60 months.
MSRP: $26,645 – $32,140
Invoice: $24,664 – $29,732
Fuel Economy: 22 mpg Hwy, 16 mpg City 

Chevrolet Corvette
$3,000 cash back or zero-percent for 60 months.
MSRP: $48,930 – $106,880
Invoice: $44,526 – $99,933
Fuel Economy: 26 mpg Hwy, 16 mpg City 

Crossovers

Mitsubishi Endeavor
$3,500 cash back or zero-percent for 48 months.
MSRP: $27,999 – $31,499
Invoice: $26,389 – $29,688
Fuel Economy: 21 mpg Hwy, 15 mpg City 

Ford Edge
$3,000 to $4,000 cash back or zero-percent financing for 60 months, sometimes with extra cash back.
MSRP: $26,920 – $35,770
Invoice: $25,407 – $33,191
Fuel Economy: 25 mpg Hwy, 18 mpg City 

Dodge Journey
$1,500 cash back or zero-percent financing for 36 months.
MSRP: $20,490 – $29,745
Invoice: $19,826 – $28,340
Fuel Economy: 25 mpg Hwy, 19 mpg City 

Toyota Venza
Zero-percent to 3.9-percent financing for up to 60 months.
MSRP: $26,275 – $29,550
Invoice: $23,777 – $26,595
Fuel Economy: 29 mpg Hwy, 21 mpg City 

Pickups  

Ford F-150
$3,500 cash back or low-rate financing starting at zero percent for 36 months, sometimes with extra cash back.
MSRP: $21,820 – $39,675
Invoice: $20,381 – $35,746
Fuel Economy: 19 mpg Hwy, 14 mpg City 

Toyota Tundra
Zero-percent to 1.9-percent for 60 months.
MSRP: $23,455 – $42,455
Invoice: $21,578 – $38,846
Fuel Economy: 19 mpg Hwy, 15 mpg City 

Dodge Ram 1500
$3,000 or zero-percent financing for up to 60 months.
MSRP: $20,610 – $42,650
Invoice: $19,280 – $39,096
Fuel Economy: 20 mpg Hwy, 14 mpg City 

Chevrolet Silverado
$4,500 cash back or zero-percent for up to 72 months.
MSRP: $20,850 – $41,775
Invoice: $20,016 – $38,851
Fuel Economy: 20 mpg Hwy, 15 mpg City 

To view the original article by AOL Autos, visit http://autos.aol.com/article/best-deals-of-the-month/.