TORONTO -

Canadian Black Book unveiled its Best Retained Value Awards for 2011 this week, and taking home the most honors yet again was Toyota/Lexus.

The awards are spread across 17 segments and examine 2007 model-year units. Canadian Black Book determines the winner in each segment based on which model in the specific vehicle class has held its value the strongest in the last four years.

In other words, the winner in each segment is the model that has kept the greatest percentage of original MSRP since 2007.

Six of the 17 first-place slots went to Toyota or Lexus models. Toyota and Lexus also won the most categories in 2010.

Volkswagen earned three first-place rankings. Volvo (which took two No. 1 spots) was a category winner for the first time, as were Jaguar and Jeep, which took home one award apiece.

“Depreciation is the largest expense associated with vehicle ownership and for six years these awards have helped buyers identify which vehicles depreciate the least,” stated Canadian Black Book’s chief executive officer Kathy Ward.

“Consumers want as much information as they can get when buying or selling a vehicle. These awards along with the vehicle future value tool on
CanadianBlackBook.com, help consumers make smart vehicle purchase decisions,” she added.

Canadian Black Book president Larry Shred added: “This year’s awards are particularly exciting given the new winners in several categories. Some of the old-faithfuls have returned, reinforcing the strength of their brands through thick-and-thin, while other new winners motivate everyone to keep up their game. This raises the bar for our entire industry and ultimately, it is the consumers who win.”

The list of winners is as follows in order of No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 for each category:

Cars

—Sub-compact: Volkswagen New Beetle, Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris

—Compact: Volkswagen City Golf, Volkswagen Rabbit, Toyota Matrix

—Midsize car: Subaru Outback, Kia Rondo, Toyota Camry

—Full-size car: Toyota Avalon, Nissan Maxima, Buick Lucerne

—Entry luxury car: Volvo C30, Lexus IS Series, Audi A3

—Luxury car: Volvo S80, Lexus GS Series, Mercedes-Benz E-Class

—Premium luxury car: Lexus LS Series, Audi A8/S8, BMW 6 Series

—Premium Sports car: Jaguar XK, Porsche 911, Porsche Cayman

—Sports car: Volkswagen GT, Volkswagen Eos, Mazda MX-5

Trucks & Vans

—Small pick-up: Toyota Tacoma, Ford Explorer Sport Trac, Ford Ranger

—Full-size pick-up: Toyota Tundra, Ford F Series, Lincoln Mark LT

—Minivan: Honda Odyssey, Toyota Sienna ,Hyundai Entourage

—Full-size van: Dodge Sprinter, GMC Savana, Chevrolet Express

SUVs

—Compact SUV: Jeep Wrangler, Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4

—Midsize SUV: Toyota FJ Cruiser, Mazda CX-9, Toyota 4Runner

—Full-size SUV: Toyota Sequoia Chevrolet Suburban Ford Expedition

—Luxury SUV: Mercedes-Benz G-Class Acura MDX Mercedes-Benz M-Class