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Black Book: 3 Segments See Price Increases In March

This week’s Black Book Market Insights report looks at where we are with cars and trucks during the peak of the spring season. The most glaring trend is that both cars and trucks are not seeing the same
Published: April 12, 2016

Depreciation Numbers in Peak of Spring Show Market Isn’t as Strong as Years Past

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (April 12, 2016) – According to Black Book® data, the average price of a used vehicle for model years 2010-2014 declined -0.9% during March. Cars declined -0.4% and trucks declined -1.3% during the month, demonstrating the peak of the spring selling season.

In a sign that overall year-over-year depreciation continues to accelerate, the first quarter of 2016 saw vehicle depreciation of -3.6%, compared with -0.6% during the same time in 2015.

Full-Size Van led all vehicle segments with the highest depreciation on the month at just -2.2%. Vehicles in this segment primarily include the Chevrolet G1500, G2500 and G3500 Vans, Ford E150, E250 and E350 Vans, Vehicles in this segment entered April with an average segment price of $19,042, a 11.7% drop from a year ago ($21,573).

One segment saw zero depreciation for the month and three segments increased in value. Sub-Compact Crossovers saw the value unchanged during March (0.0%). Vehicles in this segment include the Buick Encore and Nissan Juke. Sub-Compact Crossovers ended March with an average segment price of $12,218, the same price the segment saw at end of February.

Full-Size Cars increased +0.7% in value during March, the best-performing segment during the month. In February, Full-Size Cars had an average segment price of $12,674. The segment finished March with an average price of $12,768. Vehicles in this segment include the Chevrolet Impala, Dodge Charger, Ford Taurus, Chrysler 300, Nissan Maxima and Toyota Avalon.

Sporty Cars also saw and increase (+0.6%) in segment value during March. The segment’s average price increased from $13,818 in February to $13,989 in March. Vehicles in this segment include the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro, Mini Cooper, Dodge Challenger and BMW 1-Series.

Compact Cars also saw and increase (+0.6%) in segment value during March. The segment’s average price increased from $8,202 in February to $8,247 in March. Vehicles in this segment include the Honda Civic, Mazda3, Ford Focus, Chevrolet Cruze and Hyundai Elantra.

“While this is the time of year when values see noticeable strength, it’s very apparent that this year’s spring market isn’t as strong as it has been the last few years,” said Anil Goyal, Senior Vice President of Automotive Valuation and Analytics for Black Book. “More than ever, it’s important for dealers and remarketers to pay close attention to the data to spot the trends that can shape their inventory strategies for the remainder of the year.”

Here is the complete breakdown of Black Book-recorded March value changes of used vehicles (2010-2014):

4/1/2015 3/1/2016  1M Chg 4/1/2016  12M Chg
Category Seg $ $ % $ %
All Vehicles 17,385 14,656 -0.90% 14,522 -16.50%
Car 14429 11509 -0.40% 11468 -20.50%
Truck 20779 18270 -1.30% 18029 -13.20%
Domestic Car 12856 10271 0.60% 10331 -19.60%
Domestic Truck 20620 18221 -1.60% 17935 -13.00%
Import Car 15319 12209 -0.80% 12111 -20.90%
Import Truck 21033 18347 -0.90% 18179 -13.60%
Compact Luxury CUV/SUV LCU 25925 22345 -2.20% 21849 -15.70%
Full-Size Van FSV 21573 19474 -2.20% 19042 -11.70%
Luxury Car LLC 26279 21162 -2.10% 20726 -21.10%
Prestige Luxury Car PLC 43539 36282 -2.00% 35555 -18.30%
Compact Crossover/SUV CSU 15342 12978 -1.70% 12758 -16.80%
Compact Van MVC 12903 10005 -1.60% 9845 -23.70%
Full-Size Pickup FPT 24379 22502 -1.50% 22161 -9.10%
Full-Size Crossover/SUV FSU 26211 24854 -1.40% 24516 -6.50%
Full-Size Luxury CUV/SUV LFU 38603 33321 -1.30% 32879 -14.80%
Mid-Size Luxury CUV/SUV LMU 27599 23242 -1.30% 22948 -16.90%
Sub-Compact Car SBC 9321 6946 -1.20% 6863 -26.40%
Near Luxury Car NLC 20808 16799 -1.10% 16620 -20.10%
Minivan MVW 18350 15393 -1.10% 15217 -17.10%
Premium Sporty Car PSC 48870 42262 -1.00% 41819 -14.40%
Mid-Size Crossover/SUV MSU 19211 16533 -0.80% 16400 -14.60%
Mid-Size Car MSC 12017 9595 -0.20% 9580 -20.30%
Small Pickup SPT 19661 18392 -0.10% 18369 -6.60%
Sub-Compact Luxury CUV LXU 20551 16841 -0.10% 16818 -18.20%
Sub-Compact Crossover SXU 14608 12213 0.00% 12218 -16.40%
Compact Car CPC 10605 8202 0.60% 8247 -22.20%
Sporty Car SPC 17221 13818 0.60% 13898 -19.30%
Full-Size Car FSC 15488 12674 0.70% 12768 -17.60%

 
About Black Book
Black Book® is best known in the automotive industry for providing timely, independent and accurate vehicle pricing information, and is available to industry-qualified users through online subscription products, mobile applications and licensing agreements. A leading provider since 1955, Black Book has continuously evolved to ensure that it achieves its goal of delivering mission-critical information to its customers, along with the insight necessary to successfully buy, sell, and lend. Black Book data is published daily by National Auto Research, a division of Hearst Business media, and the company maintains offices in Georgia, Florida, and Maryland as well as the Canadian Black Book in Toronto. For more information, please visit BlackBookAuto.com or call 800.554.1026.

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