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IRVINE, Calif. — Kelley Blue Book rolled out a new Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle Value late last week to its lineup of values as well as a devoted CPO section on Kbb.com.

The goal of the CPO Value program is to show shoppers the benefits of buying certified as well as to demonstrate the premium costs involved with CPO units.

KBB said it will update its CPO Values every week, which is what it does for other KBB Values.

"Publishing the Kelley Blue Book CPO Values will help promote manufacturer-based certification programs as well as the peace of mind it affords consumers," explained Justin Yaros, executive vice president of product design and development for KBB.

"The new CPO section on Kbb.com provides comparisons of various manufacturer programs, educating shoppers by showcasing the benefits of each car manufacturer's certified program," he added.

The site has joined together with Lexus for the site's special section. Together, they aim to help shoppers become educated about and find CPO units from all participating automakers.

Using the CPO section on Kbb.com, shoppers will be guided through three stages of shopping process: CPO Basics, CPO Research and Ready to Buy.

"Many car shoppers have heard the term ‘certified' but they aren't sure exactly what that means, let alone if it is right for them or what they should be paying for a CPO vehicle," stated James Bell, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book.

"The new CPO section on kbb.com and Kelley Blue Book's CPO Value take the mystery out of CPO and provide shoppers with all of the tools and advice they need to research and purchase a CPO car," he continued.

Here is how the three areas are designed to work:

CPO Basics: This section includes articles from Kbb.com experts that show how CPO can be advantageous to consumers. These stories also offer comparison buying for new or used. Moreover, KBB explains how manufacturer-backed CPO programs are different from extended warranties/service contracts from dealers.  There is also a quiz available to help shoppers decide between new, used and CPO.

CPO Research: This lists all automakers' certified programs, and offers a side-by-side comparisons. It also lists which certified brands and models are most popular. The section is also designed to provide the official KBB CPO Values for specific models.

Ready to Buy: Here, shoppers can sort through more than 70,000 certified units in KBB's The Trusted Marketplace and locate one close by. The section also features articles that advise shoppers specifically on how to buy a CPO vehicle.

"Lexus has spent nearly two decades educating consumers about the value of our vehicle certification program," stated Brian Smith, vice president of sales and dealer development for Lexus.

"Working together with Kbb.com, an unbiased car shopping site that sees more than 15 million visits each month, provides us with a tremendous opportunity to spread the word about the advantages our CPO program offers to more and more of our customers who are shopping online these days," he added.