REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -

OPENLANE’s U.S. Market Index ticked higher in June, extending a string of three consecutive months of wholesale price gains.

Analysts placed the June index reading at 109, a level 1 percentage point higher than May and 2 percentage points above the same month last year.

Since OPENLANE rolled out this index back in June 2009, the reading has only been at 109 or higher three times. Its all-time high of 110 came in December of last year.

Turning over to a look at the vehicle segments OPENLANE tracks, analysts noticed car prices increased in June, ending 2 percentage points above May.

Meanwhile, OPENLANE indicated minivan prices decreased slightly, down 1 percentage point from May levels.

While SUV prices were flat again in June — ending even with May and April — analysts found that truck prices continued to decline in June. Trucks slid by 1 percentage point from the prior month.

Moving along, OPENLANE shared how dealer interest in various segments behaved in June compared to other time frames.

Analysts discovered dealer interest in cars dropped sharply in June but ended 4 percentage points ahead of June 2010.

However, OPENLANE spotted that dealer interest in minivans increased significantly versus the prior month and exceeded June 2010 levels by 11 percentage points.

Analysts mentioned SUV interest also climbed higher last month, but they said it ended 4 percentage points below the level seen in June of last year.

Finally, OPENLANE pointed out that while dealer interest in trucks also increased versus May; June’s level still settled 17 percentage points below the same month a year ago.