DETROIT — U.S. car shoppers took a wait-and-see approach in April. They eased up on purchases as the lure of big incentives faded and hoped summer would bring a new flurry of deals.

Automakers will have to match incentives from Toyota at least through Memorial Day. Toyota said Monday it will continue to offer zero-percent financing and two years of free maintenance on the Camry, Corolla and other vehicles through June 1. It's also offering unprecedented deals on its Lexus luxury brand, including special lease offers, a $1,000 loyalty award for previous owners and a six-month waiver on payments.

The industry stayed on the road to recovery in April, with sales up 20 percent over last April's dismal numbers and most major automakers seeing double-digit gains, according to AutoData. But sales slipped 8 percent from March, when Toyota launched record-high incentives after a series of safety recalls.

Incentives continued in April but were 5 percent lower as automakers reined in spending on promotions. Jessica Caldwell, an industry analyst with auto information website Edmunds.com, said incentives generally lose their luster after a few weeks.

"April gave us a sense of what true demand is out there," Caldwell said. "There was no holiday weekend and it was tax time. The sales we got in March were not really sustainable."

Toyota says it will continue offering higher incentives in the short term.