Several New Cars Benefit from Exposure at Recent Auto Shows
Toyota Maintains Strong Presence on AutoTrader.com Top 20 Lists; AutoTrader.com Hits Record January Traffic
ATLANTA, Feb. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Revamped versions of several popular cars got boosts in new-car searches on AutoTrader.com in January 2010 compared to their rankings in January 2009, likely as a result of high-profile exposure at recent auto shows and resulting publicity in the automotive and consumer media. The biggest jumper: the revamped Mazda 3, which zoom-zoomed from No. 74 on the list of most-searched new cars in January 2009 to No. 14 in January 2010 after being shown off at the Los Angeles International Auto Show in December.
New versions of the Hyundai Sonata, the Ford Focus and Fusion, and the Chevy Cobalt all also made major jumps following unveils and exposure at either the LA show or at the North American International Auto Show held in Detroit in January.
"The steep jump in searches on AutoTrader.com that cars experience following auto show unveilings and exposure proves the value these shows offer in generating publicity about these new cars and creating interest in them among the car buying public," said AutoTrader.com President and CEO Chip Perry.
Price Is the Story In Used Cars
The continued rise in used car prices was the big news in January on AutoTrader.com. Of the top 20 used cars searched on AutoTrader.com in January, 12 saw double digit percent increases in their average prices compared to January 2009. In all, 18 of the top 20 most-searched used cars on AutoTrader.com saw increases in their average prices in January 2010 compared to January 2009.
The biggest average price increases in January 2010 were on favorites like the used Chevy Tahoe (up 22% compared to January 2009), the used Ford F-150 (up 21% compared to January 2009), the used Chevy Silverado and Dodge Ram (both up about 20%) and the used Jeep Wrangler (up 18%).
"In the used car market we're continuing to see the impact of the reviving market and the tight supply of many used cars," said Perry. "We see signs of resurgence in the new car market, which will help increase the supply of used cars, but demand for used cars is also returning, eating up the supply that is out there and pushing up prices. As a result, used car buyers may continue to be surprised by higher than expected prices when they visit dealer lots."
In some cases, as manufacturers and dealers look to jump start new car sales, shoppers may find prices, financing terms or other specials that make a new car cheaper than a similar late-model used car.
"This is the time when doing research on-line and cross shopping between new and used cars can really benefit car buyers and help them make car buying decisions that best fit their needs and their budgets," said Perry.
Toyota Stays Strong on AutoTrader.com
Across the board, Toyota's recent recall challenges did not impact car shoppers' searches for Toyota vehicles in January when compared to activity on AutoTrader.com in December of 2009 or the previous January.
Compared to December 2009, most new and used Toyota models on AutoTrader.com maintained their rankings or moved down only one spot. The used Toyota Camry actually saw an increase in searches on AutoTrader.com in January 2010 compared to December 2009, moving the car up from No. 23 in December 2009 to No. 19 in January.
AutoTrader.com's research team has been following activity on Toyota vehicles daily to assess potential impact on car shoppers' interest in Toyota vehicles and so far the news is good for Toyota.
"Through the beginning of February, we've continued to see stability in the supply of Toyota vehicles posted to our site and traffic to those vehicles," said Perry. "Dealers are continuing to advertise new and used Toyota vehicles for sale on our site in normal numbers, we have not seen a jump in private sellers listing Toyotas for sale – meaning people who own them are holding on to them – and visitors to AutoTrader.com continue to review Toyota vehicles as they did before this news broke in late January. We will continue to follow this as it develops and Toyota works to alleviate the problems."
Record January Traffic
AutoTrader.com scored another record traffic month, hitting 15.98 million unique monthly visitors, the highest January traffic in the company's history.
"AutoTrader.com continues to benefit from the movement of new and used car shoppers on-line and the unique environment we've created that allows shoppers to compare cars across multiple categories – new, used, body styles, dealer specials and more," said Perry. "We'll work in 2010 to continue to earn that traffic with exciting new on-line shopping products and functionality that brings car shoppers back over and over and helps the dealers and private sellers listing vehicles for sale on our site sell those cars faster."
About AutoTrader.com
AutoTrader.com, created in 1997 and headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is the Internet's leading auto classifieds marketplace and consumer information website. AutoTrader.com aggregates in a single location millions of new cars, used cars and certified pre-owned cars from thousands of auto dealers and private owners. The site attracts about 15 million unique monthly visitors. Through innovative merchandising functionality such as multiple photos, videos, detailed descriptions and comprehensive research and compare tools, AutoTrader.com unites new and used car buyers and sellers online to improving the way people research, locate and advertise vehicles. AutoTrader.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. The venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is also an investor. For more information, please visit www.autotrader.com.
VDP VDP VDP
NEW Rank Rank Rank Avg Price Avg Price Change from
NEW MAKE MODEL 1/10 12/09 1/09 -1/10 -1/09 1/09
-------- --- ---- ----- ---- --------- --------- -----------
Ford F-150 1 1 1 $35,763.12 $32,549.34 9.87%
Chevy Silverado
1500 2 4 2 $34,293.33 $31,612.56 8.48%
Honda Accord 3 2 5 $25,879.63 $25,933.89 -0.21%
Toyota Camry 4 3 14 $24,343.04 $24,226.01 0.48%
Honda Civic 5 6 8 $19,950.47 $20,843.46 -4.28%
Toyota Corolla 6 5 30 $18,214.34 $18,750.17 -2.86%
Dodge RAM1500 7 7 6 $33,794.70 $33,752.11 0.13%
Nissan Altima 8 9 12 $24,739.43 $24,618.71 0.49%
Chevy Malibu 9 10 22 $24,472.85 $24,469.77 0.01%
Ford Focus 10 13 51 $18,527.47 $18,036.00 2.72%
Jeep Wrangler 11 15 10 $28,872.56 $27,468.21 5.11%
Toyota Tacoma 12 12 19 $26,294.23 $25,210.87 4.30%
Ford Fusion 13 16 45 $25,619.41 $22,691.21 12.90%
Mazda Mazda3 14 19 74 $20,292.07 $18,879.54 7.48%
Ford F-250 15 11 15 $44,857.99 $42,634.65 5.21%
Chevy Cobalt 16 29 35 $17,872.42 $17,613.86 1.47%
Hyundai Sonata 17 24 52 $21,196.04 $21,812.43 -2.83%
Chevy Camaro 18 14 N/A $33,822.58 N/A #DIV/0!
Ford Mustang 19 17 7 $32,412.23 $32,198.01 0.67%
Volkswagen Jetta 20 18 28 $23,005.53 $22,527.65 2.12%
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VDP VDP VDP
USED USED Rank Rank Rank Avg Price Avg Price Change from
MAKE MODEL 1/10 12/09 1/09 -1/10 -1/09 1/09
-------- ----- ---- ----- ---- --------- --------- -----------
Ford F-150 1 1 1 $19,246.06 $15,853.45 21.40%
Chevy Silverado
1500 2 3 3 $18,774.74 $15,563.00 20.64%
BMW 3 Series 3 2 2 $25,618.66 $26,463.99 -3.19%
Ford Mustang 4 4 4 $16,685.10 $15,820.12 5.47%
Ford F-250 5 5 10 $23,054.49 $19,796.72 16.46%
Honda Accord 6 7 6 $15,561.01 $15,125.56 2.88%
Dodge Ram 1500 7 6 5 $17,430.86 $14,452.98 20.60%
Chevy Tahoe 8 8 9 $23,929.57 $19,606.80 22.05%
Honda Civic 9 11 8 $13,408.64 $13,686.38 -2.03%
Chevy Silverado
2500 10 9 19 $22,758.65 $19,309.25 17.86%
Jeep Wrangler 11 10 13 $19,115.66 $16,149.49 18.37%
Nissan Altima 12 17 15 $14,095.32 $13,841.24 1.84%
Dodge Ram 2500 13 12 20 $24,073.66 $20,452.79 17.70%
Infinity G35/37 14 13 7 $22,052.80 $20,149.26 9.45%
Toyota Tacoma 15 14 16 $19,044.88 $17,138.61 11.12%
BMW 5 Series 16 15 14 $30,019.34 $29,444.39 1.95%
Ford Explorer 17 18 12 $15,329.38 $13,629.86 12.47%
Jeep Grand
Cherokee 18 16 11 $16,128.20 $14,080.76 14.54%
Toyota Camry 19 23 21 $15,758.37 $15,780.34 -0.14%
Toyota Tundra 20 19 26 $21,830.18 $18,512.55 17.92%
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VDP VDP VDP
CPO CPO Rank Rank Rank Avg Price Avg Price Change from
MAKE MODEL 1/10 12/09 1/09 -1/10 -1/09 1/09
---- ----- ---- ----- ---- --------- --------- -----------
BMW 3 Series 1 1 1 $31,684.40 $31,577.02 0.34%
Honda Accord 2 3 3 $18,249.73 $17,597.15 3.71%
Silverado
Chevy 1500 3 2 2 $23,172.27 $19,094.24 21.36%
Chevy Tahoe 4 4 5 $31,198.22 $26,731.20 16.71%
Ford F-150 5 5 4 $23,569.10 $20,336.80 15.89%
BMW 5 Series 6 6 6 $37,335.98 $35,561.12 4.99%
Toyota Tundra 7 7 8 $24,775.10 $20,978.78 18.10%
Toyota Camry 8 8 11 $18,223.23 $18,291.62 -0.37%
Honda Civic 9 10 7 $16,276.75 $16,408.33 -0.80%
Toyota Tacoma 10 9 10 $22,002.24 $20,112.78 9.39%
Audi A4 11 11 9 $26,453.99 $24,870.91 6.37%
Acura TL 12 12 18 $26,977.34 $24,369.39 10.70%
Ford Mustang 13 18 15 $19,756.31 $17,955.35 10.03%
Mercedes-
Benz E Class 14 13 12 $38,010.36 $33,439.36 13.67%
Toyota Highlander 15 14 22 $24,064.97 $21,715.52 10.82%
Honda Pilot 16 22 32 $24,387.16 $20,356.32 19.80%
Toyota 4 Runner 17 16 27 $24,241.79 $21,499.64 12.75%
Chevy Impala 18 25 13 $16,129.93 $15,180.57 6.25%
Mercedes-
Benz C Class 19 19 19 $29,667.12 $25,840.44 14.81%
GMC Sierra 1500 20 15 30 $24,183.52 $19,481.03 24.14%
--- ----------- --- --- --- ---------- ---------- -----
TOP 10
NEW
BRANDS Rank Rank
VIEWED 1/10 1/09
------ ---- ----
FORD 1 2
CHEVY 2 1
TOYOTA 3 3
HONDA 4 4
NISSAN 5 6
DODGE 6 5
BMW 7 9
GMC 8 7
HYUNDAI 9 11
MB 10 10
SOURCE AutoTrader.com
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