NEW YORK — In an interesting approach to spur sales, three of Acura's five largest U.S. dealerships — all of which are located in proximity of New York and typically compete with one another — have teamed up for a joint promotion.

Rallye Acura (located in Roslyn, N.Y.), Paragon Acura (Woodside, N.Y.) and Acura of Westchester (Larchmont, N.Y.) have partnered for a "Triple Zero" financing offer.

The Triple Zero program offers consumers a zero down payment, zero security deposit and waives the first month's payment for 2010 Acura TL and Acura TSX 4-cylinder models.

The idea for this offer was prompted by Acura's recent accolades for its safety — particularly for the two models included in the offer — and value.

In fact, Acura's entire lineup was recognized by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2009 with five-star crash safety ratings, in addition to all of the automaker's models being dubbed as Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety earlier in 2009, as well.

Furthermore, Acura was the No. 1 luxury brand on ALG's 2010 Residual Value Award list, the dealers highlighted. 

"Looking at the value, the safety, the luxury and the pure fun of driving an Acura, it's clear that what for other car brands would seem like a huge risk is for us just a way of extending a hand to our customers," explained Brian Benstock, general manager of Paragon Auto Group, which is a top certified pre-owned Honda and Acura store, according to officials.

"We want to welcome them (consumers) to the world of Acura," added Benstock, who along with colleague Edith Singer were honored as AutoSuccess magazine's Dealers of the Year for their Web site www.paragoncars.com.

The site allows shoppers to go online and build and buy vehicles, purchase parts and schedule service appointments 24/7.