The new year is barely underway, and people are eying deals for new or pre-owned cars or trucks. Based on one source, General Motors is extra-aggressive in terms of incentives this month.
What follows are some indicators of car shoppers’ interests last year and into 2010.
Rebate motors
Dozens of models have rebates and other discounts in January that can make them attractive to purchase. But none more than GM brands.
That’s according to IntelliChoice.com, which monthly lists its “best auto deals.” The January tally came out this week.
“Every new winner for the month of January is a GM model, which is something that has not happened in years, and maybe never,” said Charlie Vogelheim, executive editor for IntelliChoice.com.
Nearly half of the overall winners are GM cars, trucks and sport utility vehicles, he said.
“Rebates certainly play a role in GM’s showing, but keep in mind that other automakers are also offering discounts,” Vogelheim said.
Among the highlights:
• Top rebates by brand are the Kia Sorrento and Cadillac DTS at $5,000 each.
• The average new car rebate for January is $1,503, up from $1,367 in December.
Top “value” vehicles by class include Mini Cooper and Toyota Yaris hatchbacks in subcompact cars; Volkwagen Jetta TDI sedan in compact cars priced lower than $17,000 and Honda Fit for compacts priced higher than $17,000; Toyota Prius for midsize cars; Mini Cooper and Audi A4 for convertibles; Audi A3 for “near” luxury cars; Cadillac DTS for luxury cars; and Huyndai Sonata four-cylinder for large cars.
Top “value” vehicles also include Pontiac Solstice Coupe and Chevrolet Corvette for sports cars; Volkswagen Jetta TDI Wagon for wagons; Lexus GS Hybrid for sport sedans priced higher than $38,000 and Chevrolet Impala SS for sport sedans priced lower than $38,000; Saturn VUE Hybrid, Volkswagen Touareg TDI and Lexus RX for crossovers; Kia Sorento, GMC Yukon and GMC Yukon Denali for utility vehicles; Honda Odyssey for minivans and Chevrolet Express 1500 for full-size vans.
Rounding out the list are Toyota Tacoma Regular Cab and Chevrolet Colorado Extended Cab for compact pickup trucks; Chevrolet Silverado Crew Cab Hybrid, Sierra Crew Cab Hybrid and Dodge Ram 3500 for full-size two-wheel drive trucks; and Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD Crew Cab and Dodge Ram 3500 for full-size four-wheel drive trucks.
Cars’ viewpoint
More consumers are at least researching information about new cars, an online company specializing in vehicle sales has found.
New- car shopping activity on AutoTrader.com surged in December compared with the same month of 2008, the company said.
Topping the list was the Chevrolet Traverse crossover, which saw a 181 percent increase in online “views.” The Toyota Corolla was the top-gaining car on AutoTrader.com’s top 20 list for December 2009, up 154 percent.
“December 2009 may be remembered as the month where interest in new cars returned, if activity on our site is any indication,” said Chip Perry, president and chief executive of Atlanta-based AutoTrader.com.
“Many consumers are feeling more confident about their jobs and the economy going into the new year, and those factors, coupled with lots of exciting new models in showrooms, should drive an increasing amount of foot traffic to new-car dealers throughout 2010.”
The Ford F-150 and the Honda Accord ranked first and second in most viewed cars for December 2009. They also placed first and second a year ago.
AutoTrader.com also noted that used-car demand fell as inventories shrunk and consumers opted for new vehicles.
“As new car sales improve and buyers trade in their now used cars, we should see also see a corresponding improvement in used-car inventories and shopping activity,” Perry said.
Search and research
Another auto Web site, www.kbb.com, saw record traffic last year. The unit of the Kelley Blue Book auto information company released its list of the 20 most researched vehicles for 2009.
They are, in order, Honda’s Accord and Civic, Toyota Camry, Honda CR-V, Toyota’s Corolla, RAV4, Highlander and Prius; Nissan Altima; Honda Pilot; Ford Escape; Chevrolet Camaro; Honda Odyssey; Ford Fusion; Mazda3; Ford Mustang; Volkswagen Jetta; Toyota Sienna; Lexus RX 350; and Chevrolet Equinox.
By company, the top five were Toyota, Honda, Ford, Chevrolet and Nissan.
While the Civic, Accord and Camry have been on the list since 2004, there were a number of new names. Among the big gainers were the Chevy redesigned Equinox and Camaro models, the recently revamped Lexus RX 350 and the fast-selling Ford Fusion.
“Declined interest (on the Web site) in smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles and increased popularity in attractive, recently redesigned models is an accurate reflection of the marketplace in 2009,” said James Bell, executive market analyst for kbb.com.
