Mr Leung had aroused controversy by buying a luxury car shortly before announcing a new vehicle tax in his budget speech in March.

ECONOMIST: Will Tung Chee-hwa be next to go?

He has enacted a huge fiscal stimulus, unveiled a hyper-Keynesian budget, propped up tottering car firms and hastily drafted new rules for how financial bail-outs will proceed.

ECONOMIST: Obama's record: A hundred days of hyperactivity | The

So if you're planning to buy a car on a tight or specific budget, you might want to factor in--along with fuel and insurance--the cost of repairing a vehicle when the warranty expires.

FORBES

Avis Budget (CAR) is expected to book a narrower loss than a year ago when it reports fourth quarter earnings on Wednesday, February 13, 2013 with analysts expecting a loss of 8 cents per share, up from a loss of 14 cents per share a year ago.

FORBES: Earnings Preview: Avis Budget

As executives at auto makers expect the current strong appetite for the subsidies to use up the budget before autumn, car companies are bracing for a sales drop when the program comes to an end.

WSJ: Japanese Auto Sales Climb 92%

"Moving forward, we will continue to give to give customers choice among a robust selection of car rental options -- including Hertz, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Thrifty, Advantage and other leading suppliers -- that will fully meet travelers' needs, " the company said in a statement.

CNN: Orbitz, Enterprise car rentals part ways