Edmunds.com Reveals the Week Between Christmas and New Year's will be the Busiest Car Shopping Time of the Year

Premier Car Shopping Site Also Finds December Among Highest Performing Months for Luxury Automotive Brands, and Leasing will be at an All-time High

News provided by

Edmunds.com

Dec 17, 2014, 08:00 ET

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- It's no secret that the final week of every month is a busy time for car shopping, but it's especially so in December. Edmunds.com, the premier destination for car shopping, announced today that the week between Christmas and New Year's will be the busiest car shopping time of the year, and that leasing will hit an all-time high.

Dubbing the week "New Car, New Year," Edmunds.com projects that new car sales during the final week of December will be 78 percent higher than the average week earlier in December, while typically the last week of any month averages just 40 percent higher than the sales in earlier weeks. The company also noted that December is typically one of the most popular months for luxury car shopping, thanks in part to all of the marketing messages presented by some of the higher end brands looking to close out the older model year inventory.

"The final week of the year, between Christmas and New Year's, is a particularly exciting time for car shoppers," said Philip Reed, Senior Consumer Advice Editor at car shopping website Edmunds.com. "As the dealers look to sell the last of their 2014 model year vehicles, car shoppers will have the opportunity to choose from a wide range of cars at affordable prices."

To help consumers navigate the ins and outs of shopping for and purchasing new vehicles this month, and making their "New Car, New Year" dreams a reality, Edmunds.com's consumer advice editors have crafted a series of insider tips and tricks to ensure shoppers can land the car of their dreams. These tips include:

Save big with 2014 vehicles. Edmunds.com projects that year-end incentives and rebates will save shoppers an average of 10% off the MSRP for 2014 model year vehicles, compared to 6% off MSRP for 2015 model vehicles. So, if you shop for 2014 model year vehicles, you can save almost twice as much as you would if you shopped for 2015 model year vehicles.
Go mobile. Shoppers can use their smartphones to research and lock in pricing before arriving at the dealership. Check out Edmunds.com's app with its Lot Buddy feature to check pricing options while on the dealership lot.
Shop through the Internet Department. Using the Internet Department, car-shoppers can compare quotes and even set up a test-drive and lock in instant pricing once they've found the best deal. In addition, using tools such as Edmunds.com's Price Promise expedites the process and lets car shoppers compare quotes faster.
Get pre-approved financing. By working with a bank or credit union, car shoppers can get their credit score, find out what interest rate they qualify for and have a loan in hand before hitting the dealerships. However, in many cases dealer financing can and will beat the pre-approved rate.

To ensure car shoppers are set up for success, Edmunds.com also announced today that it will be extending the hours of its completely free Live Help service. Usually available 8AM-5PM Pacific Time, the service will be open from 7AM-7PM on December 26, a particularly busy day. By simply calling 1-855-782-4711, texting ED411, Tweeting to @EdmundsLive or sending an email to [email protected], car shoppers at home or on the dealer's lot will have even more access to experts who can answer their questions about pricing, features and a host of other vehicle information.

Car shoppers will also appreciate insider tips available at http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/top-shopping-tips-from-a-former-car-salesman.html

About Edmunds.com, Inc.
Car-shopping website Edmunds.com serves nearly 18 million visitors each month. With Edmunds.com Price Promise^®, shoppers can get an instant, upfront price for cars and trucks currently for sale at 10,000 dealer franchises across the U.S. Car shoppers can browse not only inventory listings at Edmunds.com and on its acclaimed apps, but also comprehensive car reviews, shopping tips, photos, videos and feature stories. Named by Maritz Research as one of the most trusted online consumer review sites – and the only automotive site listed in the top ten – Edmunds.com welcomes all car-shopping questions on its free Live Help Line at 1-855-782-4711 and [email protected], via text at ED411 and on Twitter and Facebook. Edmunds.com can also be found on YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, Google+ and Flipboard. The company is based in Santa Monica and has a satellite office in downtown Detroit.