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New-Car Transaction Prices Decrease Slightly In April 2013 According To Kelley Blue Book


new vehicle sales (select to view enlarged photo)

Industry Transaction Prices Decrease 0.5 Percent from March 2013, Increase from April 2012; Compact Car Share Increases on KBB.com in April 2013

IRVINE, CA--May 1, 2013:  The estimated average transaction price for light vehicles in the United States was $31,356 in April 2013, down $170 (0.5 percent) from last month, March 2013, and up $154 (0.4 percent) from a year ago, April 2012, according to Kelley Blue Book.

"There is still strong pent-up demand from consumers looking to purchase a new vehicle who have been on the sidelines waiting for at least a few years," said Alec Gutierrez, senior market analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "As gas prices continue to decrease, especially during the summer season, transaction prices should raise as consumers look to purchase larger vehicles."

Manufacturer

April 2013 Transaction Price (Avg.)

March 2013 Transaction Price (Avg.)

April 2012 Transaction Price (Avg.)

Percent Change April 2012 to April 2013

Percent Change March 2013 to April 2013

Chrysler Group (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat)

$31,465

$31,007

$30,979

1.6%

1.5%

Ford (Ford, Lincoln)

$32,325

$32,344

$33,004

-2.1%

-0.1%

GM (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC)

$33,443

$33,944

$34,190

-2.2%

-1.5%

American Honda (Acura, Honda)

$27,383

$27,293

$26,502

3.3%

0.3%

Hyundai/Kia

$23,150

$23,378

$22,978

0.8%

-1.0%

Nissan (Nissan, Infiniti)

$27,561

$27,860

$28,244

-2.4%

-1.1%

Toyota (Lexus, Scion, Toyota)

$29,131

$29,577

$28,642

1.7%

-1.5%

Volkswagen (Audi, Volkswagen)

$38,720

$38,510

$38,009

1.9%

0.5%

Industry

$31,156

$31,326

$31,280

0.4%

-0.5%

According to page views on Kelley Blue Book's top-rated website, which is defined as every time a KBB.com user visits a Web page, domestic automakers Chrysler and Ford continue to see the largest increases.  Chrysler increased to 7.2 percent of page views on KBB.com, up from 6.1 percent last year, while Ford has seen the largest jump, up 2 percentage points from 10.6 percent in April 2012 to 12.6 percent in April 2013.  Hyundai/Kia report the steepest drops in KBB.com page view traffic, down from a 12.3 percent share in April 2012 to 7.5 percent in April 2013.

Manufacturer

April 2013 Page Views (% of KBB.com Traffic)

March 2013 Page Views (% of KBB.com Traffic)

April 2012 Page Views (% of KBB.com Traffic)

Chrysler Group (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat)

7.2%

7.0%

6.1%

Ford (Ford, Lincoln)

12.6%

11.8%

10.6%

GM (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC)

11.2%

11.3%

12.1%

American Honda (Acura, Honda)

13.7%

13.9%

13.0%

Hyundai/Kia

7.5%

7.9%

12.3%

Nissan (Nissan, Infiniti)

6.4%

6.6%

6.3%

Toyota (Lexus, Scion, Toyota)

16.3%

16.9%

16.2%

Volkswagen (Audi, Volkswagen)

6.7%

6.8%

6.9%

As gas prices have dropped, Kelley Blue Book also has seen segments with the most fuel-efficient vehicles drop. Subcompact car page views are down from 5.3 percent in April 2012 to 3.5 percent in April 2013. Compact car page views are down from 15.4 percent in April 2012 to 13.5 percent in April 2013.  Hybrid vehicles page views also are declining, down to 3.2 percent of all KBB.com page views in April 2013, from 3.7 percent in April 2012.

The segments that saw some of the largest increases in KBB.com page views are compact crossovers, which had the largest segment increase, up from 12.6 percent in April 2012 to 13.8 percent in April 2013.  In addition, luxury crossovers also increased from last year, to 5.9 percent in April 2013 from 5.1 percent in April 2012.

Segment

April 2013 Page Views (% of KBB.com Traffic)

March 2013 Page Views (% of KBB.com Traffic)

April 2012 Page Views (% of KBB.com Traffic)

Subcompact Car

3.5%

3.7%

5.3%

Compact Car

13.5%

13.6%

15.4%

Mid-size Car

14.0%

14.3%

13.7%

Full-size Pickup Truck

5.2%

5.3%

4.8%

Compact Crossover

13.8%

13.4%

12.6%

Mid-size Crossover

5.3%

5.7%

6.8%

Hybrid Vehicle

3.2%

3.4%

3.7%

Entry Luxury Car

5.3%

5.3%

5.0%

Luxury Crossover

5.9%

5.8%

5.1%