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November Sees Stabilization in New Vehicle Sales as 2009 Winds Down


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Certified Pre-Owned Vehicles Continue to See Stronger Pricing as Demand Rises Among Consumers and Supply Shrinks

ATLANTA, Dec. 9 -- The Ford F-150, one of America's best-selling vehicles, again took the crown as AutoTrader.com's Most Viewed New Vehicle during the month of November. It was followed closely by the two most popular sedans in the United States, the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. Views for the F-150 were up 15% year-over-year, while average asking prices also increased 15%, going from $30,813 in November 2008 to $35,708 in November of this year.

Many manufacturers saw upticks in new vehicle shopping activity during the month on AutoTrader.com. Additionally, asking prices continued to rise as consumers begin to return to the nation's showrooms, lured by exciting new vehicles rather than high-cost rebates and significant dealer discounts.

"After the wild ride of the 2009, manufacturers, dealers and consumers alike are starting to see inventories and prices normalize," said AutoTrader.com President and CEO Chip Perry. "More importantly, consumers are generally beginning to open their wallets again, and are moving forward with that new vehicle purchase that they had been delaying up until now."

In particular, Chevrolet's new Traverse full-size crossover saw a 90% jump in traffic, landing the vehicle at number 17 on the list of 20 Most Viewed New Vehicles on AutoTrader.com during November. Meanwhile, Ford's popular new Fusion midsize sedan saw a 13% increase in average asking prices, with that average price being $25,672 for the month of November. The Fusion's popularity pushed it from the No. 23 most-viewed new car on AutoTrader.com in October to the No. 13 most-viewed new car in November.

Other big jumpers on the list included the Ford Escape SUV, up from the No. 29 spot in October to No. 19 in November; the Ford Focus, up from No. 32 in October to No. 13 in November; the Chevy Malibu, up from No. 19 in October to No. 10 in November; and the Toyota Corolla, up from No. 18 in October to No. 6 in November.

CPO Prices Continue to Rise

Among Certified Pre-Owned vehicles, prices rose significantly year-over-year among trucks and SUVs. The Chevrolet Tahoe SUV, for example, saw a 23% jump in average asking price, going from $24,496 in November of 2008 to $31,445 in November 2009. These increases were found in trucks from both foreign and domestic makes, such as the Toyota Tundra pick-up, which recorded an almost 19% increase in average asking price, going from $21,284 last year to $25,268 in 2009.

"As awareness of Certified Pre-Owned programs and the benefits offered continues to grow, a greater number of consumers will continue to opt for these vehicles in lieu of a traditional used or new vehicle," said Perry. "At the same time, because many CPO vehicles are off-lease cars and a lot of the leasing activity dried up as a result of the credit crunch or the past two years, there are fewer cars available via this channel. As a result of these trends, we may see continued increases in the prices for CPO cars."

AutoTrader.com Site Traffic Continues to Rise

Further evidence of a general stabilization of the marketplace was shown by continued increase in traffic to AutoTrader.com in November. Traffic on AutoTrader.com increased by 5% year-over-year during November, reaching a total of 13.5 million visitors during the month. Site traffic to AutoTrader.com has been steadily trending upward throughout 2009, despite the turmoil recorded in the automotive industry.

"The migration of shoppers to the Internet to search for new and used vehicles, combined with the general recovery of the automotive marketplace, is a boon for both manufacturers and dealers," said Perry. "The Internet offers both the OEM and the retailer an effective, efficient way to reach the largest number of in-market shoppers at any given moment with the latest information consumers seek when making a purchase."

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.

                                                          Change
                                      Rank  Rank  Rank      from
  MAKE                MODEL          11/09 10/09 11/08     11/08
  ----                -----          ----- ----- ----- ----------
                               New Cars
                               --------
  Ford                F-150              1     1     3     15.20%
  ----                -----            ---   ---   ---     -----
  Honda               Accord             2     6     1       N/A
  -----               ------           ---   ---   ---       ---
  Toyota              Camry              3     7     2    -24.83%
  ------              -----            ---   ---   ---    ------
  Chevrolet           Silverado 1500     4     4     8      4.95%
  ---------           --------------   ---   ---   ---      ----
  Honda               Civic              5    13     4    -19.69%
  -----               -----            ---   ---   ---    ------
  Toyota              Corolla            6    18     6     -5.51%
  ------              -------          ---   ---   ---     -----
  Chevrolet           Camaro             7     2   N/A       N/A
  ---------           ------           ---   ---   ---       ---
  Ford                Mustang            8     3    14     10.40%
  ----                -------          ---   ---   ---     -----
  Nissan              Altima             9    15     5    -34.65%
  ------              ------           ---   ---   ---    ------
  Chevrolet           Malibu            10    19    13      0.34%
  ---------           ------           ---   ---   ---      ----
  Dodge               Ram 1500          11     8     7    -30.92%
  -----               --------         ---   ---   ---    ------
  Ford                Fusion            12    23    19      0.92%
  ----                ------           ---   ---   ---      ----
  Ford                Focus             13    32    15     -8.92%
  ----                -----            ---   ---   ---     -----
  Toyota              Tacoma            14    17    12    -13.35%
  ------              ------           ---   ---   ---    ------
  Ford                F-250             15     9    42     59.04%
  ----                -----            ---   ---   ---     -----
  BMW                 3-Series          16    21    22      0.57%
  ---                 --------         ---   ---   ---      ----
  Chevrolet           Traverse          17    30    65     90.46%
  ---------           --------         ---   ---   ---     -----
  Jeep                Wrangler          18    14    18    -17.41%
  ----                --------         ---   ---   ---    ------
  Ford                Escape            19    29    23     -7.10%
  ----                ------           ---   ---   ---     -----
  Volkswagen          Jetta             20    22    21     -9.48%
  ----------          -----            ---   ---   ---     -----

                                                            Change
                                      Avg Price- Avg Price-   from
  MAKE                MODEL              11/09     11/08     11/08
  ----                -----           ---------  --------- -------
                             New Cars
                             --------
  Ford                F-150           $35,708.00 $30,813.99  15.88%
  ----                -----           ---------- ----------  -----
  Honda               Accord          $25,858.32 $26,223.07    N/A
  -----               ------          ---------- ----------    ---
  Toyota              Camry           $24,505.63 $24,151.05   1.47%
  ------              -----           ---------- ----------   ----
  Chevrolet           Silverado 1500  $33,847.56 $29,986.40  12.88%
  ---------           --------------  ---------- ----------  -----
  Honda               Civic           $20,032.56 $20,599.81  -2.75%
  -----               -----           ---------- ----------  -----
  Toyota              Corolla         $18,200.67 $18,882.59  -3.61%
  ------              -------         ---------- ----------  -----
  Chevrolet           Camaro          $34,381.57        N/A    N/A
  ---------           ------          ----------        ---    ---
  Ford                Mustang         $32,517.17 $31,542.37   3.09%
  ----                -------         ---------- ----------   ----
  Nissan              Altima          $24,853.35 $24,721.40   0.53%
  ------              ------          ---------- ----------   ----
  Chevrolet           Malibu          $24,675.00 $24,336.84   1.39%
  ---------           ------          ---------- ----------   ----
  Dodge               Ram 1500        $33,858.20 $33,671.48   0.55%
  -----               --------        ---------- ----------   ----
  Ford                Fusion          $25,672.15 $22,681.07  13.19%
  ----                ------          ---------- ----------  -----
  Ford                Focus           $18,629.91 $18,043.70   3.25%
  ----                -----           ---------- ----------   ----
  Toyota              Tacoma          $26,551.05 $25,603.97   3.70%
  ------              ------          ---------- ----------   ----
  Ford                F-250           $45,530.61 $42,271.31   7.71%
  ----                -----           ---------- ----------   ----
  BMW                 3-Series        $53,236.11 $55,563.05  -4.19%
  ---                 --------        ---------- ----------  -----
  Chevrolet           Traverse        $35,664.60 $35,960.45  -0.82%
  ---------           --------        ---------- ----------  -----
  Jeep                Wrangler        $28,571.98 $27,769.42   2.89%
  ----                --------        ---------- ----------   ----
  Ford                Escape          $26,691.85 $25,688.63   3.91%
  ----                ------          ---------- ----------   ----
  Volkswagen          Jetta           $22,798.75 $22,298.63   2.24%
  ----------          -----           ---------- ----------   ----

                                                          Change
                                      Rank  Rank  Rank      from
  MAKE                MODEL          11/09 10/09 11/08     11/08
  ----                -----          ----- ----- ----- ----------
                               Used Cars
                               ---------
  Ford                F-150              1     1     1      0.16%
  ----                -----            ---   ---   ---      ----
  BMW                 3-Series           2     3     2     -2.65%
  ---                 --------         ---   ---   ---     -----
  Chevrolet           Silverado 1500     3     2     3      2.49%
  ---------           --------------   ---   ---   ---      ----
  Ford                Mustang            4     4     4     -7.19%
  ----                -------          ---   ---   ---     -----
  Ford                F-250              5     5    10     27.21%
  ----                -----            ---   ---   ---     -----
  Honda               Accord             6     6     6     -4.76%
  -----               ------           ---   ---   ---     -----
  Dodge               Ram 1500           7     7     5     -9.97%
  -----               --------         ---   ---   ---     -----
  Chevrolet           Tahoe              8     8     9      2.50%
  ---------           -----            ---   ---   ---      ----
  Honda               Civic              9     9     8     -7.55%
  -----               -----            ---   ---   ---     -----
  Chevrolet           Silverado 2500    10    11    17     32.09%
  ---------           --------------   ---   ---   ---     -----
  Infiniti            G35/G37           11    10     7    -22.28%
  --------            -------          ---   ---   ---    ------
  Dodge               Ram 2500          12    12    19     23.94%
  -----               --------         ---   ---   ---     -----
  Jeep                Wrangler          13    13    13      1.39%
  ----                --------         ---   ---   ---      ----
  BMW                 5-Series          14    18    12     -3.27%
  ---                 --------         ---   ---   ---     -----
  Nissan              Altima            15    14    16      3.64%
  ------              ------           ---   ---   ---      ----
  Toyota              Tacoma            16    15    15      0.26%
  ------              ------           ---   ---   ---      ----
  Jeep                Grand Cherokee    17    16    11    -19.69%
  ----                --------------   ---   ---   ---    ------
  Ford                Explorer          18    19    14    -16.58%
  ----                --------         ---   ---   ---    ------
  Audi                A4                19    17    18     -3.43%
  ----                ---              ---   ---   ---     -----
  Toyota              Camry             20    20    20     -2.94%
  ------              -----            ---   ---   ---     -----

                                                            Change
                                      Avg Price- Avg Price-   from
  MAKE                MODEL              11/09     11/08     11/08
  ----                -----           ---------  --------- -------

                             Used Cars
                             ---------
  Ford                F-150           $19,477.11 $15,806.65  23.22%
  ----                -----           ---------- ----------  -----
  BMW                 3-Series        $26,400.55 $27,163.37  -2.81%
  ---                 --------        ---------- ----------  -----
  Chevrolet           Silverado 1500  $19,000.23 $15,832.91  20.00%
  ---------           --------------  ---------- ----------  -----
  Ford                Mustang         $17,083.18 $16,476.25   3.68%
  ----                -------         ---------- ----------   ----
  Ford                F-250           $23,507.96 $19,800.56  18.72%
  ----                -----           ---------- ----------  -----
  Honda               Accord          $15,849.22 $16,013.08  -1.02%
  -----               ------          ---------- ----------  -----
  Dodge               Ram 1500        $17,627.61 $14,251.32  23.69%
  -----               --------        ---------- ----------  -----
  Chevrolet           Tahoe           $24,487.20 $19,136.51  27.96%
  ---------           -----           ---------- ----------  -----
  Honda               Civic           $13,721.68 $14,679.59  -6.53%
  -----               -----           ---------- ----------  -----
  Chevrolet           Silverado 2500  $22,672.62 $19,287.25  17.55%
  ---------           --------------  ---------- ----------  -----
  Infiniti            G35/G37         $22,716.54 $21,290.33   6.70%
  --------            -------         ---------- ----------   ----
  Dodge               Ram 2500        $24,005.32 $20,264.62  18.46%
  -----               --------        ---------- ----------  -----
  Jeep                Wrangler        $19,511.67 $16,574.66  17.72%
  ----                --------        ---------- ----------  -----
  BMW                 5-Series        $31,124.98 $30,805.22   1.04%
  ---                 --------        ---------- ----------   ----
  Nissan              Altima          $14,340.54 $14,617.76  -1.90%
  ------              ------          ---------- ----------  -----
  Toyota              Tacoma          $19,322.83 $17,870.12   8.13%
  ------              ------          ---------- ----------   ----
  Jeep                Grand Cherokee  $16,110.25 $14,122.53  14.07%
  ----                --------------   ---------- ----------  -----
  Ford                Explorer        $15,552.46 $13,665.06  13.81%
  ----                --------        ---------- ----------  -----
  Audi                A4              $20,475.27 $21,350.65  -4.10%
  ----                ---             ---------- ----------  -----
  Toyota              Camry           $16,258.50 $16,668.21  -2.46%
  ------              -----           ---------- ----------  -----

                                                                Change
                                            Rank  Rank  Rank      from
  MAKE                   MODEL             11/09 10/09 11/08     11/08
  ----                   -----             ----- ----- ----- ----------
                           Certified Pre-Owned
                           -------------------
  BMW                    3-Series             1     1     1     -3.21%
  ---                    --------           ---   ---   ---     -----
  Honda                  Accord               2     2     3     -0.58%
  -----                  ------             ---   ---   ---     -----
  Chevrolet              Silverado 1500       3     3     2    -12.65%
  ---------              --------------     ---   ---   ---    ------
  Chevrolet              Tahoe                4     4     4      4.03%
  ---------              -----              ---   ---   ---      ----
  Toyota                 Tundra               5     5    10     20.85%
  ------                 ------             ---   ---   ---     -----
  Toyota                 Camry                6     7     7      7.29%
  ------                 -----              ---   ---   ---      ----
  Ford                   F-150                7     6     6     -4.59%
  ----                   -----              ---   ---   ---     -----
  BMW                    5-Series             8     8     8     -5.57%
  ---                    --------           ---   ---   ---     -----
  Honda                  Civic                9    11     5    -17.33%
  -----                  -----              ---   ---   ---    ------
  Toyota                 Tacoma              10    10     9     -2.94%
  ------                 ------             ---   ---   ---     -----
  Audi                   A4                  11     9    11     -5.35%
  ----                   ---                ---   ---   ---     -----
  Acura                  TL                  12    12    15     -6.82%
  -----                  ---                ---   ---   ---     -----
  Mercedes-
   Benz                  E-Class             13    14    13    -12.10%
  ---------              -------            ---   ---   ---    ------
  Toyota                 Highlander          14    13    19      3.89%
  ------                 ----------         ---   ---   ---      ----
  Ford                   Mustang             15    17    17     -7.65%
  ----                   -------            ---   ---   ---     -----
  Chevrolet              Impala              16    20    14    -20.29%
  ---------              ------             ---   ---   ---    ------
  GMC                    Sierra 1500         17    19    27     12.69%
  ---                    -----------        ---   ---   ---     -----
  Honda                  Pilot               18    18    37     29.77%
  -----                  -----              ---   ---   ---     -----
  Mercedes-
   Benz                  C-Class             19    15    16    -13.70%
  ---------              -------            ---   ---   ---    ------
  Chevrolet              Malibu              20    24    20     -4.35%
  ---------              ------             ---   ---   ---     -----

                                                          Change
                             Avg Price-   Avg Price-       from
  MAKE       MODEL              11/09       11/08         11/08
  ----       -----           ----------   ----------  ----------
                         Certified Pre-Owned
                         -------------------
  BMW        3-Series        $31,468.69   $31,806.70       -1.06%
  ---        --------        ----------   ----------       -----
  Honda      Accord          $18,595.64   $18,466.44        0.70%
  -----      ------          ----------   ----------        ----
  Chevrolet  Silverado 1500  $23,342.89   $19,075.25       22.37%
  ---------  --------------  ----------   ----------       -----
  Chevrolet  Tahoe           $31,445.95   $25,496.68       23.33%
  ---------  -----           ----------   ----------       -----
  Toyota     Tundra          $25,268.36   $21,284.21       18.72%
  ------     ------          ----------   ----------       -----
  Toyota     Camry           $18,767.57   $18,907.13       -0.74%
  ------     -----           ----------   ----------       -----
  Ford       F-150           $23,766.68   $19,533.47       21.67%
  ----       -----           ----------   ----------       -----
  BMW        5-Series        $36,426.37   $35,210.21        3.45%
  ---        --------        ----------   ----------        ----
  Honda      Civic           $16,659.12   $17,333.29       -3.89%
  -----      -----           ----------   ----------       -----
  Toyota     Tacoma          $22,538.61   $20,740.88        8.67%
  ------     ------          ----------   ----------        ----
  Audi       A4              $26,310.87   $25,887.42        1.64%
  ----       ---             ----------   ----------        ----
  Acura      TL              $26,759.31   $24,923.00        7.37%
  -----      ---             ----------   ----------        ----
  Mercedes-
   Benz      E-Class         $37,705.90   $35,289.45        6.85%
  ---------  -------         ----------   ----------        ----
  Toyota     Highlander      $24,016.87   $21,964.80        9.34%
  ------     ----------      ----------   ----------        ----
  Ford       Mustang         $20,195.67   $18,645.64        8.31%
  ----       -------         ----------   ----------        ----
  Chevrolet  Impala          $16,172.92   $15,827.25        2.18%
  ---------  ------          ----------   ----------        ----
  GMC        Sierra 1500     $24,324.96   $19,749.25       23.17%
  ---        -----------     ----------   ----------       -----
  Honda      Pilot           $24,501.48   $20,422.61       19.97%
  -----      -----           ----------   ----------       -----
  Mercedes-
   Benz      C-Class         $29,107.50   $27,110.22        7.37%
  ---------  -------         ----------   ----------        ----
  Chevrolet  Malibu          $15,987.76   $14,944.46        6.98%
  ---------  ------          ----------   ----------        ----

     TOP-VIEWED      Rank    Rank
       BRANDS       11/09   11/08
     ----------     -----   -----
  Ford                  1       3
  ----                ---     ---
  Chevrolet             2       2
  -------------       ---     ---
  Toyota                3       1
  ------              ---     ---
  Honda                 4       4
  -----               ---     ---
  Nissan                5       6
  ------              ---     ---
  Dodge                 6       5
  -----               ---     ---
  Mercedes-Benz         7       8
  -------------       ---     ---
  GMC                   8      10
  ---                 ---     ---
  Hyundai               9       7
  -------             ---     ---
  BMW                  10      12
  ---                 ---     ---