ATLANTA -

AutoTrader.com thinks its April traffic data backs up why the majority of potential buyers are likely looking closely at the fuel-efficient segment of dealers’ inventories.

Furthermore, a study conducted by AutoTrader.com in March and April showed that 62 percent of shoppers are considering purchasing a vehicle that is more fuel efficient than the unit they currently drive.

As a result, AutoTrader.com’s monthly Trend Engine Report — which provides analysis of consumer shopping behavior on the site — indicated fuel-efficient models dominated traffic interest in certified pre-owned, used and new listings.

“As the average price for a gallon of gas began hitting the $4-mark across the nation, consumers continued shifting their focus toward fuel-efficient cars,” site officials noted.

“This increase is especially apparent on the most-searched new vehicles list, where two fuel-efficient cars — the Ford Focus and Hyundai Sonata — made big jumps to land in the top 20 and showed notable increases in average asking price,” they continued.

“Across the board, the majority of trucks and SUVs experienced declines, showing that American’s love affair with larger vehicles takes a hiatus when gas prices spike,” AutoTrader.com added.

Interest in Fuel-Efficient Models Rises

On the list of most-searched CPO vehicles, trucks and SUVs continued to lose ground in April, according to AutoTrader.com.

Fuel-efficient certified models such as the Honda Civic (No. 5), Volkswagen Jetta (No. 9) and  Nissan Altima (No. 19) all moved up one spot month-over-month, signaling more interest in these vehicles among CPO buyers.

The site noticed numerous trucks and SUVs declined in position month-over-month:

—The certified Toyota Tundra went from No. 5 in March to No. 7 in April.

—The certified Ford F-150 went from No. 9 in March to No. 12 in April.

—The certified Chevrolet Tahoe went from No. 12 in March to No. 14 in April.

—The certified Acura MDX went from No. 16 in March to No. 17 in April.

—The certified Toyota 4-Runner went from No. 19 in March to No. 20 in April. 

AutoTrader.com discovered that the certified BMW 3-Series again captured the No. 1 spot, a place it has enjoyed throughout 2011.

The site added that two other sportier coupes/sedans made positive moves on the list, with the certified Audi A4 leaping three spots to the No. 4 position and the certified Acura TL moving up three spots to the No. 11 position.

Likewise, trucks and SUVs also showed signs of declining consumer interest on the list of most-searched used vehicles.

AutoTrader.com indicated that the used F-150, which has retained the top spot throughout 2011, was pushed to the No. 2 spot on the list by the used  3-Series.

While some trucks and SUVs managed to hold on to their position month-over-month, site officials said two other large trucks and SUVs lost ground: the used Tahoe and used Chevrolet Silverado 2500 dropped two or more places between March and April 2011.

Also among used vehicles, fuel-efficient favorites such as  Honda’s Civic (No. 5) and Accord (No. 6) models, as well as the Altima (No. 12) all held steady month-over-month, according to AutoTrader.com. The used Jetta and Toyota Camry models both increased their respective positions on the list as the site determined the Jetta went from No. 15 in March to No. 13 in April, and the Camry moved up one spot from No. 20 in March to No. 19 in April.

As far as new models, the previously mentioned Focus and Sonata made the biggest leaps on AutoTrader.com’s charts.

The site noted the new Focus moved up 21 spots, going from No. 33 in March to No. 11 in April, and the new Sonata climbed four spots from No. 23 in March to No. 19 in April.

Also notable was AutoTrader.com’s mention of the new Chevrolet Cruze cracking the top 10 to come in at No. 8 on the list, up from No. 11 in March.

Analysts also pointed out  big year-over-year gains for two other fuel-efficient cars: the new Hyundai Elantra jumped 37 places, going from No. 51 to No. 14, and the new Kia Optima soared 87 spots, going from No. 104 to No. 17.

Prices Affected by Demand for Fuel Efficiency and Potential Model Shortages

Average asking prices were on the rise for the majority of the most-searched vehicles on AutoTrader.com in April.

For new vehicles, prices were up year-over-year on 12 vehicles and down on six vehicles. Two models were not available at this time last year and therefore do not have year-over-year price data.

On the used-vehicle list, prices were up on 13 and down on seven, and for the most-searched CPO vehicles, prices were up on a whopping 17 vehicles and down on only three.

“AutoTrader.com analysts noted that supply and demand is a key factor in determining the asking price of a vehicle so seeing increases on the majority of vehicles across the new, used and CPO lists shows that consumers are certainly making a return to the automotive market,” the site explained.

“Analysts also noted that fuel-efficient cars made significant gains across all three lists, as the demand for these cars has increased with the rise in gas prices,” the site added.

On the CPO list, the fuel-efficient Accord gained the most in average asking price at 11 percent.

But another interesting trend noted by analysts was that vehicles made by Toyota or Honda — both manufacturers affected by the natural disasters in Japan — experienced an increase in average asking price in April. Analysts indicated that these increases may be propelled by the anticipated shortages for new models later this year, leading consumers to consider late-model alternatives such as certified versions of their favorite models.

In the top 20 most-searched CPO vehicles, Hondas saw an average increase in asking price of 5.5 percent while Toyotas saw an average increase in asking price of 8.6 percent.

Fuel-efficient units fared equally as well on AutoTrader.com’s list of most-searched used vehicles. The used Accord posted the largest increase in average asking price — 9.89 percent —going from $15,787 to $17,349 year-over-year. The used Camry came in second with an increase of 8.99 percent, going from $15,482 to $16,874 year-over-year.

AutoTrader.com noted the used Altima gained 7.15 percent in average asking price, and the used Civic gained 6.22 percent.

On the list of most-searched new vehicles, AutoTrader.com found the new Kia Optima had the largest increase in average asking price year-over-year, going from $20,772 to $24,099.

The new Hyundai Elantra achieved the second-biggest price increase of 12.75 percent, going from $17,474 to $19,702 year-over-year.

The average asking price for the new  Focus rose 6.92 percent and the new Hyundai Sonata saw an increase of 5.52 percent.

Mixed Bag for the Big Movers in April

In addition to examining the top 20 most-searched new, used and CPO vehicles, AutoTrader.com analysts also look at the 10 biggest movers on the site, which are vehicles that have made significant jumps in their rank on the site month-over-month, even if the vehicles didn’t receive enough interest to garner a spot in one of the top 20 most-searched lists.

For used vehicles, the site found the big movers between March and April tended to be sporty and luxury vehicles with the exception of the Dodge Sprinter commercial van, which moved up 20 places month-over-month.

AutoTrader.com’s CPO list included more practical vehicles with units such as the Mazda2 moving up 39 spots, the Mini Cooper Clubman moving up 38 spots and the Buick Regal moving up 35 spots.

On the new-vehicle front, the top three big movers were all new models for the 2011 year.

Officials said the new Fiat 500 made another big month-over-month leap, moving up 122 places between March and April. Between February and March, the Fiat 500 jumped 137 spots, “so it continues to garner significant interest from car shoppers and could soon break into the top 100,” they surmised.

Rounding out the top three on AutoTrader.com’s new-vehicle big movers list was the Chrysler 300, which landed at the No. 41 spot after a jump of 44 places and the all-electric Nissan LEAF, which moved up 40 places month-over-month.

Although it didn’t make it into the top three big movers, the site mentioned the Infiniti M35 Hybrid moved up 38 spots month-over-month to land in the respectable fourth place.

Most-Searched Brands on AutoTrader.com

Analysts indicated Ford continued its dominance of the most-searched new and used vehicle brands lists, with Chevrolet holding firmly onto the No. 2 position on both lists.

They also learned Volkswagen returned to the list of most-searched new vehicle brands, coming in at No. 9.

Dodge and Jeep both made year-over-year improvements with Dodge coming in at No. 3 and Jeep securing the No. 8 spot.

“With only slight position changes here and there, the list of most-searched used vehicle brands remained the same as the previous month,” AutoTrader.com said.

APRIL TOP 10 NEW VEHICLE BRANDS SEARCHED

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MAKE

Rank 4/11

Rank 4/10

Ford

1

2

Chevrolet

2

1

Dodge

3

6

Toyota

4

3

Nissan

5

4

Hyundai

6

7

Honda

7

5

Jeep

8

16

Volkswagen

9

10

GMC

10

9


APRIL TOP 10 USED VEHICLE BRANDS SEARCHED

MAKE

Rank 4/11

Rank 4/10

Ford

1

1

Chevrolet

2

2

Toyota

3

3

BMW

4

4

Dodge

5

5

Honda

6

7

Nissan

7

6

Mercedes Benz

8

8

Jeep

9

9

Volkswagen

10

11


APRIL TOP 20 MOST-SEARCHED NEW CARS
 

MAKE

MODEL

VDP Rank 4/11

VDP Rank 3/11

VDP Rank 4/10

Avg.  Price 4/11

Avg.  Price 4/10

Price

% Change

Ford

Mustang

1

1

3

$35,105

$31,672

10.84%

Chevrolet

Camaro

2

3

1

$33,655

$34,029

-1.10%

Ford

F-150

3

2

2

$38,077

$37,102

2.63%

Chevrolet

Corvette

4

4

7

$66,913

$67,974

-1.56%

Dodge

Challenger

5

5

15

$33,621

$35,440

-5.13%

Jeep

Wrangler

6

7

6

$29,984

$29,403

1.98%

Chevrolet

Silverado 1500

7

6

4

$33,653

$33,746

-0.28%

Chevrolet

Cruze

8

11

N/A

$20,773

N/A 

N/A

Volkswagen

Jetta

9

9

16

$23,373

$23,478

-0.45%

Ford

Explorer

10

8

102

$38,947

$36,957

5.38%

Dodge

Charger

11

12

68

$31,239

$29,659

5.33%

Ford

Focus

12

33

35

$20,041

$18,744

6.92%

Dodge

Ram 1500

13

10

12

$35,731

$34,739

2.86%

Hyundai

Elantra

14

14

51

$19,702

$17,474

12.75%

Chevrolet

Equinox

15

13

18

$27,517

$28,277

-2.69%

Ford

Fiesta

16

18

N/A

$17,833

N/A 

N/A

Kia

Optima

17

17

104

$24,099

$20,772

16.02%

Ford

F-250

18

15

8

$48,664

$44,585

9.15%

Hyundai

Sonata

19

23

9

$23,651

$22,414

5.52%

Jeep

Grand Cherokee

20

16

78

$38,537

$36,052

6.89%

 
APRIL TOP 20 MOST-SEARCHED USED VEHICLES 

MAKE

MODEL

VDP Rank 4/11

VDP Rank 3/11

VDP Rank 4/10

Avg.  Price 4/11

Avg.  Price 4/10

Price

% Change

BMW

3-Series

1

2

2

$25,798

$25,171

2.49%

Ford

F-150

2

1

1

$19,934

$21,161

-5.80%

Chevrolet

Silverado 1500

3

3

3

$19,670

$19,919

-1.25%

Ford

Mustang

4

4

4

$18,751

$18,049

3.89%

Honda

Civic

5

5

9

$14,515

$13,665

6.22%

Honda

Accord

6

6

6

$17,349

$15,787

9.89%

Jeep

Wrangler

7

8

8

$20,576

$20,152

2.10%

Ford

F-250

8

7

5

$24,324

$25,177

-3.39%

Dodge

Ram 1500

9

9

7

$18,025

$18,836

-4.31%

Toyota

Tacoma

10

10

13

$20,327

$19,414

4.70%

Infiniti

G35/37

11

11

10

$23,333

$22,724

2.68%

Nissan

Altima

12

12

16

$16,371

$15,278

7.15%

Volkswagen

Jetta

13

15

22

$14,346

$13,927

3.01%

Audi

A4

14

17

18

$21,298

$21,447

-0.69%

BMW

5-Series

15

16

14

$29,705

$29,781

-0.26%

Chevrolet

Tahoe

16

14

11

$23,813

$25,535

-6.74%

Chevrolet

Silverado 2500

17

13

12

$23,724

$23,274

1.93%

Dodge

Ram 2500

18

18

15

$26,441

$24,934

6.04%

Toyota

Camry

19

20

23

$16,874

$15,482

8.99%

Jeep

Grand Cherokee

20

19

19

$17,122

$17,099

0.13%



APRIL TOP 20 MOST-SEARCHED CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED CARS
 

MAKE

MODEL

VDP Rank 4/11

VDP Rank 3/11

VDP Rank 4/10

Avg.  Price 4/11

Avg.  Price 4/10

Price

% Change

BMW

3-Series

1

1

1

$31,265

$30,243

3.38%

Honda

Accord

2

2

2

$20,146

$18,147

11.01%

Chevrolet

Silverado 1500

3

3

4

$24,674

$23,900

3.24%

Audi

A4

4

7

12

$26,225

$26,491

-1.00%

Honda

Civic

5

6

10

$16,910

$16,173

4.56%

Toyota

Camry

6

4

9

$18,747

$17,701

5.91%

Toyota

Tundra

7

5

5

$26,848

$24,983

7.47%

Toyota

Tacoma

8

8

11

$23,886

$21,863

9.25%

Volkswagen

Jetta

9

10

14

$16,590

$16,402

1.15%

BMW

5-Series

10

11

7

$35,713

$35,315

1.13%

Acura

TL

11

14

13

$26,912

$26,499

1.56%

Ford

F-150

12

9

3

$26,599

$29,863

-10.93%

Toyota

Highlander

13

13

17

$27,208

$24,722

10.05%

Chevrolet

Tahoe

14

12

6

$33,255

$32,761

1.51%

Honda

Pilot

15

15

15

$25,567

$24,585

4.00%

Ford

Mustang

16

17

8

$23,131

$21,055

9.86%

Acura

MDX

17

16

31

$32,679

$33,205

-1.58%

Honda

CR-V

18

18

35

$21,908

$21,407

2.34%

Nissan

Altima

19

20

27

$18,908

$17,419

8.55%

Toyota

4-Runner

20

19

21

$26,924

$24,451

10.11%


APRIL TOP 10 BIG MOVERS – NEW VEHICLES

 

MAKE

MODEL

Rank 4/11

Rank 3/11

Rank Change

Fiat

500

118

240

122

Chrysler

300

41

85

44

Nissan

Leaf

223

263

40

Infiniti

M35 Hybrid

290

328

38

Mercedes Benz

SLR

247

284

37

BMW

6 Series

211

245

34

Porsche

Boxster

142

176

34

Lotus

Evora

205

237

32

BMW

Z Series

179

209

30

Mercedes Benz

SLS

240

269

29

 

 

APRIL TOP 10 BIG MOVERS – USED VEHICLES

 

MAKE

MODEL

Rank 4/11

Rank 3/11

Rank Change

Lotus

Evora

410

446

36

Acura

3.5RL

213

243

30

Honda

CR-Z

404

431

27

Lotus

Elise

301

327

26

Nissan

GT-R

299

325

26

Ferrari

360

309

333

24

Honda

S2000

135

156

21

Dodge

Sprinter

264

284

20

BMW

M Coupe

382

402

20

Maserati

Granturismo

310

330

20

 

 

APRIL TOP 10 BIG MOVERS – CPO VEHICLES

 

MAKE

MODEL

Rank 4/11

Rank 3/11

Rank Change

Jaguar

XJ Series

333

383

50

Audi

R8

306

350

44

BMW

6 Series

356

399

43

Mazda

Mazda2

369

408

39

BMW

M Coupe

343

381

38

Mercedes Benz

G-Class

330

368

38

Mini

Clubman

277

315

38

Toyota

MR2 Spyder

368

406

38

Dodge

Magnum

290

327

37

Buick

Regal

283

318

35

AutoTrader Classics Halts Print Edition to Focus Online

AutoTrader Classics, the classic car marketplace operated by AutoTrader.com, is making strategic changes to its business in an effort to better address the needs of the classic car enthusiast audience and the companies and individuals advertising to that audience.

AutoTrader Classics will stop publishing all of its print publications with the July issue, and AutoTrader Classics will become an online only brand with classic car content, photos, features and classified listings at www.AutoTraderClassics.com.

Officials believe with more consumers and advertisers moving online to do business coupled with the continued decline of paid circulation and high distribution costs, this change was necessary so that business resources could be redirected to better serve our customers’ needs.

Propelled by the continued migration of classic car enthusiasts to the Web, the AutoTraderClassics.com site has continued to grow its audience and achieve record site traffic in recent months.

In fact, the site reached 806,578 unique visitors through April, representing a 6-percent lift.

With the print publications ceasing, management emphasized the AutoTrader Classics online team will be able to fully focus on the fast-growing website, making enhancements, providing additional content, and creating an even more useful environment where classic car enthusiasts, buyers, sellers and those seeking to advertise to them can connect.

“The continued movement of both consumers and advertisers to online forms of media makes this the right time to shift the focus of AutoTrader Classics to an online only brand and maximize the potential of this part of our business,” explained AutoTrader.com president and chief executive officer Chip Perry.

“With a strong online only brand, we believe AutoTraderClassics.com can continue to grow while effectively serving our customers’ needs for the long-term,” Perry added.