ATLANTA -

The latest spike in fuel costs appears to be having a major impact on the preferences of both certified pre-owned and non-CPO late-model used-vehicle shoppers, prompting many of these consumers to gravitate toward used cars that are a bit easier on the wallet at the gas pump.

In fact, recent analysis from AutoTrader.com indicates that the CPO model showing the strongest leap on January’s "Big Movers" list was the Kia Optima, which climbed 35 spots in the site’s vehicle popularity rankings.

More specifically, the Optima was ranked No. 190 for its share of consumer interest on AutoTrader.com in December before jumping to No. 155 in January.
Four other fuel-efficient models joined the Optima on AutoTrader’s list of Big Movers in the CPO market, which is the site’s list of models showing “significantly more interest” from the preceding month."

These include the Chevrolet Cruze (up 19 positions), Ford Focus (up 15), Hyundai Elantra (up 14) and the Volkswagen Eos (up 11).

Likewise, the Big Movers list for non-CPO late-model vehicles includes a handful of fuel-friendly rides, as well. Among these are the Optima, which jumped 19 spots, as well as the Cruze (up 17) and Volkswagen Beetle (up 17). The Toyota Prius and Dodge Caliber both climbed 10 positions on the list.

“Car shoppers are heavily influenced by economic factors, and the price of fuel has a strong correlation to the specific vehicles shoppers are considering,” explained Rick Wainschel, AutoTrader’s vice president of automotive insights.

“With the spike in gas prices in January combined with forecasts for even higher prices, interest in fuel-efficient vehicles will very likely increase in the coming months,” he added.

What’s more, AutoTrader found that the push for fuel-friendly rides led to compact cars increasing their share of CPO interest by 0.7 points month-over-month with midsize cars going up 0.5 points in share.

Among non-CPO used segments, compact and midsize cars both climbed 0.5 points from December thanks to the fuel-friendly push.

For both the CPO and non-CPO used classes, compacts and midsize cars represented “the two biggest increases in share for any of the 13 segments,” officials noted.

More Big Movers

Overall, following the Optima in second place on the list of CPO Big Movers were the Dodge Durango and Volvo S40, both of which leaped 30 positions. The GMC Terrain was fourth on the list with a 29-spot hike, with the Volkswagen Routan and Buick Regal tied at fifth (climbing 23 positions).

On the late-model list of Big Movers, the biggest gainer overall was the Terrain, which was up 25 positions. The Dodge Avenger was No. 2, as it moved ahead 23 spots. The Durango came in third (up 22) with the Pontiac Solstice in fourth (up 20).

Rounding out the top five on the non-CPO side was the Optima (up 19).

Jeep Models Show Strength

Continuing further with its analysis, AutoTrader also emphasized the used-car strength for two Jeep models.

The Wrangler and Grand Cherokee are both pulling in significantly more interest in the CPO and non-CPO used-car arenas, analysts shared.

“The Chrysler resurgence has been nothing short of spectacular … Seeing sustained and growing interest in vehicles from a company that was bankrupt just a few short years ago is certainly a positive sign for the automaker,” the site suggested.

“Although Chrysler has banked its future on the Fiat brand and compact cars, these SUVs have been key elements in the brand’s recent success, proving that the Chrysler’s appeal is much wider with shoppers,” officials added.

Breaking it down, the CPO Grand Cherokee ranked No. 14 in terms of share of interest on AutoTrader.com during January. The represents an improvement of 15 positions year-over-year and two spots month-over-month.

The CPO Wrangler jumped seven spots year-over-year to No. 20, remaining even with December.

On the non-CPO list, the Wrangler jumped one position from a year ago and came in at No. 5. The Grand Cherokee placed 15th, which is an 11-spot improvement.

Both vehicles remained steady from December.

In other good news for Jeep, these two models also enjoyed gains in asking prices.

Movement for the Grand Cherokee was especially strong, as median asking prices for the CPO edition jumped 19 percent. The non-CPO variety was up 15 percent.

”While these increases in asking price are likely attributable to the influx of the redesigned model hitting the pre-owned arena, the vehicle’s continued popularity is also a contributing factor,” AutoTrader commented.