IRVINE, Calif. -

When looking at Kelley Blue Book’s data highlighting the changes in auction values for one- to three-year-old vehicles in the second quarter, the three segments with the most significant declines all fit in the crossover category.

Interestingly enough, though, KBB points out that crossovers are still ahead of the game when it comes to retained value.

For instance, KBB’s Alec Gutierrez notes, look at model-year 2010 vehicles and their auction value against original MSRP.

Overall, for this model-year, the industry’s average retention is just under 65 percent of MSPR, he stated. For luxury crossovers, the retention is at 72.7 percent, second only to sports cars (75.3 percent) for the industry lead.

Meanwhile, midsize crossovers (65.6 percent) and compact crossovers (66.3 percent) were above the industry average for value retention, as well.

“Declines in CUV values during the last three months are more of a return to normalcy than an identifier of poorly performing segments, as strong values for CUVs are unsustainable in a market with downward pressure on new-vehicle prices and increasing affordability and credit,” Gutierrez explained.

“Another contributing factor to the drop in crossover values is the April peak in gas prices and subsequent decline through May and June. The popularity of crossovers largely is due to the periods of high gas prices driving many consumers away from inefficient SUVs,” he added.

“While crossovers continue to offer a good compromise between mileage and carrying capacity, their advantages are not as pronounced during periods of falling fuel prices, especially considering American consumers’ infatuation with sport utility vehicles,” Gutierrez shared further.