IRVINE, Calif. -

Less than two months ago, Kelley Blue Book announced the 2013 model-year vehicle winners of its Best Resale Value Awards, and the Toyota and Lexus brands cleaned house, sweeping the awards for the second straight year.

Interestingly enough, though, it was the third brand under the OEM’s umbrella that was earning the limelight in a retained value analysis in the latest Blue Book Market Report.

“To aid consumers looking for a vehicle that will hold its value better than its peers, Kelley Blue Book recently identified the top 10 brands and segments in terms of retained value, defined as Kelley Blue Book’s retail asking value as a percent of original MSRP,” explained Alec Gutierrez, senior market analyst of automotive insights, in the report released last week.

“Kelley Blue Book focused on the three most recent model years (2009 to 2011) to ensure that the latest and greatest redesigns were captured in the calculations, since they typically hold their value significantly better than the models they replaced,” he continued.

What KBB discovered is that Scion was tops on the list, commanding a retained value of 85.4 percent of original MSRP. Subaru was next (80.7 percent), followed by Jeep (79.8 percent).

Toyota was not far behind, coming in fourth with 78.8-percent retention. GMC and Audi tied for fifth (78.4 percent), and were followed by Honda (78.2 percent), Lexus (77.2 percent), Acura (76.1 percent) and Kia (74.8 percent) to round out the top 10.

Looking at the top three brands in more detail, Gutierrez had this to say about some of the models helping their lofty retention levels: “The Scion tC led the pack with an average retained value of 87.1 percent, which is an impressive feat considering the stiff competition in the compact segment.

“Subaru was led by its Forester and Impreza, each retaining nearly 85 percent of original MSRP on average. The 2012 Impreza likely will outperform the already-strong numbers exhibited by the generation it replaced, thanks to improved fuel economy ratings,” he added.

“Rounding out the top three is Jeep, which was led by the Wrangler, a perennial top performer in terms of retained value. The Wrangler remains a favorite among enthusiasts and consistently is among the best-performing models in the industry.”

KBB also broke down value retention by segment, noting that midsize trucks held their values the best at 86.2 percent. Hybrid cars (80.9 percent), subcompact cars (80.3 percent) and midsize SUVs (79.9 percent) were all within a percentage point of one another in spots Nos. 2-4.

Not far behind in fifth was the compact CUV class (79.2 percent). Rounding out the top 10 were sports cars (78 percent), luxury CUVs (77.3 percent), luxury SUVs (76.9 percent), compact cars (76.3 percent) and midsize CUVs (75.3 percent).

Again, Gutierrez honed in on some of the specific models at the head of the class in the top three.

“The midsize pickup segment is led by the Toyota Tacoma, which maintains an astounding 92.4 percent of original MSRP on average. This segment likely will remain strong for the foreseeable future, since most midsize pickup trucks have ceased production in recent years,” Gutierrez said.

“The hybrid segment is led by the always reliable Toyota Prius, which maintains 81 percent of original MSRP on average. The Prius was the first hybrid launched in the United States and remains the top seller by a wide margin,” he added.

“Last, but certainly not least among the top three, is the subcompact segment, which recently has re-emerged as a viable player in the United States. The segment is led by the Nissan Cube and Toyota Yaris, each maintaining 86 percent of original MSRP on average.”

ALG also dove into some value retention analysis recently.

With the North American International Auto Show in high gear this week, Eric Lyman of ALG shared his thoughts on what some of the new-model launches may bring when it comes to residual values down the road. That story can be found here.
 

Joe Overby can be reached at joverby@autoremarketing.com. Continue the conversation with Auto Remarketing on both LinkedIn and Twitter.