AutoTrader.com: Fuel-Price Easing, Economic Improvement Lead to Used Stability
ATLANTA — Steadiness was the name of the game for used-vehicle trends in June, according to AutoTrader.com, which indicated that the leveling of fuel prices and an improved economy has led to a normalcy when it comes to which used vehicles are most popular.
In fact, the list of 11 most-viewed used units on AutoTrader.com for June mirrors the list from May. And for the most part, used prices were on the upswing, as 18 of the 20 most-viewed used units saw year-over-year price gains.
The Ford F-150 was the most popular used vehicle on the site, followed by the 3-Series, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Mustang and Ford F-250, respectively.
The Accord was No. 6, the Wrangler was seventh and the Dodge Ram 1500 was No. 8. Rounding out the top 11 was the Honda Civic, Chevrolet Tahoe and Infiniti G35/37, respectively.
"Without the gas shocks and the negative economic news we've lived with the past few years, you see a return to the normal patterns of popularity with used cars," explained Chip Perry, president and chief executive officer of AutoTrader.com.
"Used Ford Mustangs, Honda Accords, BMW 3-Series, Jeep Wranglers and other perennial favorites find their place on our list and stay there, not moving up or down too dramatically unless some extraordinary event causes a change in consumer behavior," he added.
On the certified pre-owned front, the top four most-viewed units remained the same from May, with the 3-Series taking the No. 1 spot, the Accord at No. 2, the Silverado 1500 in third and the Toyota Tundra at No. 4.
The F-150, which had been No. 6, traded places with the Tahoe, which ranked fifth in May.
Coming in at No. 7 was the Toyota Camry (up from No. 8 in May), followed by the Civic, which was up two spots to No. 8. The No. 9 ranking was unchanged from May (Audi A4), and the Toyota Tacoma came in at No. 10, as it moved ahead one spot.
No. 11 was the BMW 5-Series, which fell four spots.
Like the overall used list, 18 of the 20 most popular CPO vehicles went up in price year-over-year.
Gas-Price Trends
And in light of gas prices subsiding, there were hardly any models "aggressively marketed for their fuel efficiency" on any of AutoTrader.com's lists (new, used or CPO).
Besides the Civic — included in all three top-20 lists — and the Camry, which made the used list, larger luxury cars and sedans, trucks, SUVs, as well as sports and muscle cars were the attention grabbers during June.
Officials emphasized that U.S. shoppers tend to lean back toward "larger and more powerful vehicles" in times when fuel costs are low.
"It's clear from our historical site data that when gas prices are high, Americans almost immediately begin looking at more fuel-efficient cars and when gas prices go back down, the pattern reverses," Perry shared.
"This creates quite a challenge for manufacturers and dealers trying to figure out what cars to make and stock when those decisions have to be made months in advance when gas prices, as we've seen, can fluctuate so much so quickly."
New-Vehicle Trends
Looking at the new-vehicle list in more detail, the most popular vehicle on the site was the Mustang, followed by the Chevrolet Camaro, Volkswagen Jetta, Accord and Toyota Sienna, respectively.
The Sienna, in particular, made quite a jump from May, as it climbed from No. 43 to No. 5, helped largely by campaign centered on the "Sienna Family." These efforts have infused comedy in highlighting family-friendly features in campaign that spans mainstream media, online ads, and viral videos.
Officials said Toyota has been successful in tailoring its message to younger families with children, who have responded by going to sites like AutoTrader.com to check out the vehicle.
"The Sienna campaign is a great example of a manufacturer, dealers and marketing working together to drive awareness and consideration of a new vehicle," Perry shared.
"Combining a great design in the vehicle itself, a marketing campaign effectively utilizing new and traditional media and dealers effectively merchandising their inventory for people to see, the new Sienna has risen to the top of its target market's consideration set," he added.
AutoTrader.com also noted that 16 of the top 20 units on the new-vehicle side saw price gains.
The following are the lists of most-viewed vehicles during June:
New Vehicles
1. Ford Mustang
2. Chevrolet Camaro
3. Volkswagen Jetta
4. Honda Accord
5. Toyota Sienna
6. Ford F-150
7. BMW 3 Series
8. Chevrolet Silverado 1500
9. Honda CRV
10. Jeep Wrangler
11. Ford Edge
12. Ford F-250
13. Chevrolet Corvette
14. Honda Civic
15. GMC Sierra 1500
16. Dodge Challenger
17. Chevrolet Equinox
18. Dodge Ram 1500
19. Chevrolet Tahoe
20. Acura TL
Used Vehicles
1. Ford F-150
2. BMW 3-Series
3. Chevrolet Silverado 1500
4. Ford Mustang
5. Ford F-250
6. Honda Accord
7. Jeep Wrangler
8. Dodge Ram 1500
9. Honda Civic
10. Chevrolet Tahoe
11. Infiniti G35/37
12. Chevrolet Silverado 2500
13. Toyota Tacoma
14. Dodge Ram 2500
15. Nissan Altima
16. BMW 5-Series
17. Jeep Grand Cherokee
18. Audi A4
19. Toyota Tundra
20. Toyota Camry
CPO
1. BMW 3-Series
2. Honda Accord
3. Chevy Silverado 1500
4. Toyota Tundra
5. Ford F-150
6. Chevrolet Tahoe
7. Toyota Camry
8. Honda Civic
9. Audi A4
10. Toyota Tacoma
11. BMW 5-Series
12. Ford Mustang
13. Acura TL
14. Volkswagen Jetta
15. Honda Pilot
16. Toyota Highlander
17. Toyota 4Runner
18. Chevrolet Suburban
19. GMC Sierra 1500
20. Acura MDX