Toyota Dominates New-Car Shopping Activity On Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com

IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Toyota brand dominates new-car shopping activity on www.kbb.com when examining shopper loyalty and share-of-voice data from the past three years, according to Kelley Blue Book, the leading provider of new car and used car information. 

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Since Q1 2010, Toyota has claimed the top spot for shopper loyalty on KBB.com more than any other car brand. When Kelley Blue Book Market Intelligence studied cross-shopping consideration and other brand loyalty factors among new-car shoppers on KBB.com, Toyota has ranked No. 1 for five out of the last nine quarters. Meanwhile, Honda and Hyundai have each claimed the top spot two times. Most recently in Q2 2012, more than half of Toyota owners visiting KBB.com remained loyal to the brand as defined by researching a new Toyota model on the site.

Furthermore, Toyota has been the undisputed leader in share-of-voice across KBB.com in terms of new-car shopping activity for the past three years. There have only been two months in which Toyota was not the most-shopped brand on KBB.com during that time frame  (June and July 2011, largely due to inventory shortages resulting from the tsunami in Japan), and during those two months Honda claimed the top spot.  In addition, nearly 41% of Toyota shoppers who view Toyota model attributes through Kelley Blue Book-generated content, such as consumer and expert reviews and ratings, awards, video reviews and vehicle specifications, also research Toyota new-car pricing on KBB.com. 

Toyota models continue to remain fixtures at the top of KBB.com's most-shopped new-cars lists. In August 2012, five of the top 25 most-shopped new cars on KBB.com were Toyota models:  Camry (No. 1), Highlander (No. 13), Corolla (No. 17), RAV4 (No. 18) and Tacoma (No. 23). Toyota had more vehicles on the list than any other brand, while Honda and Ford came in a close second, each with four vehicles on the top 25 most-shopped new cars list for August.

"Toyota's reputation for quality, reliability and strong resale values undoubtedly contribute to the brand's success. New-car shoppers on KBB.com continue to prove their love for Toyota, time and time again," said Arthur Henry, manager of market intelligence for Kelley Blue Book. "Recent redesigns of best-selling models like the Camry, and increasing popularity of fuel-sippers like the Prius family, continue to drive interest and traffic to Toyota's new cars on KBB.com. The brand also has very impressive, longstanding shopper loyalty statistics."

According to KBB.com traffic data, more people shop for a Camry than any other vehicle, and more consumers shop for a Prius than any other hybrid on the top-rated car-research site.

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About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)
Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the industry. Each week the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website www.kbb.com, including its famous Blue Book® Trade-In and Suggested Retail Values and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new cars this week. The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies as well as governmental agencies. Kbb.com provides consumer pricing and information on cars for sale, minivans, pickup trucks, sedan, hybrids, electric cars, and SUVs. Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com ranked highest in its category for brand equity and was named Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year by the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend^® study.  Kelley Blue Book Co. Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AutoTrader Group.

SOURCE Kelley Blue Book