DETROIT — Many lenders are apparently returning to some of the some practices that played a role in their financial instability, such as zero-percent financing, low down payments and more, according to Sudarshan Mhatre, senior analyst with PricewaterhouseCoopers' Autofacts.

He also said that consumers are tending to take on more debt for longer periods of time, extending auto loan maturities by more than 60 months.

"The U.S. market is already witnessing the return of zero-percent financing, low down payments and gradual increases in cash incentives," Mhatre indicated. "Leasing is also coming back stronger than expected. Monitoring and controlling these practices will be crucial to the overall health of the industry going forward."

Moreover, he explained, "Conventional wisdom would suggest that consumers would be wary of taking on higher debt loads, given the recent debt-driven economic collapse. To the contrary, consumers are financing larger portions of their vehicle value (up to 92 percent) and extending loan maturities well over 60 months."

To learn more about what these trends could mean to the industry, be sure to attend the Automotive Economic Forecast and Financial Forum May 10-11 n Chicago. Mhatre is slated to take center stage and will discuss the automotive markets in-depth at 9:45 a.m. on May 11, the second day of the conference.

Click here to view a full Q&A with PricewaterhouseCoopers' Mhatre.

In addition to Mhatre, the lineup of speakers currently includes:

—Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, chief economist, Ford Motor Co.

—Mark Vitner, managing director and senior economist, Wells Fargo Securities.

—William Strauss, senior economist and economic adviser, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

—Bernard Swiecki, director of market analysis, Center for Automotive Research. 

Attendees who register for the conference before April 12 will receive the early-bird registration rate of $695. After that time, the cost to register goes up to $795. 

The event is designed for automotive industry executives, banking and finance industry executives, allied industry executives, dealer group executives, supplier and aftermarket executives, economists, and analysts from a broad spectrum of new and pre-owned automotive sales, manufacturing, leasing, financing and aftermarket arenas. 

Registration, hotel and travel information, sponsorship details, the latest news about the conference and agenda information are available online at http://www.automotiveforecastforum.com/. 

For more information about the event, contact Marilu McQuilkin, director of meetings and events, at (800) 608-7500 or mmquilkin@sacherokee.com.