Used Market Remains Healthy with Longer-Than-Normal Spring Season
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (May 7, 2015) – According to Black Book® data, the average price of a used vehicle for model years 2009-2013 was largely unchanged in April, with 0.0% registered depreciation during the month. Domestic cars increased +1.1%; import cars changed -0.8%; domestic trucks increased +1.5%; and import trucks changed -0.2%. Average pre-recession annual depreciation was continually recorded between -15% and -18%, and Black Book expects 2015 depreciation near -14.5%.
Premium Sporty Cars saw the largest segment depreciation during May at -1.3%. Vehicles in this segment include the Chevrolet Corvette, BMW 6-Series, Nissan GT-R, Mercedes-Benz CL Class and Cadillac XLR. Vehicles in this segment finished the month with an average price of $45,048, a -13.6% change from year-ago levels ($52,159). Luxury Cars finished the month with the second-highest depreciation at -1.0%.
Compact SUVs saw the strongest retention during May at +2.8%. Vehicles in this segment include the Jeep Wrangler and Nissan Xterra. Vehicles in this segment finished April with an average price of $19,783, a -3.9% decrease from year-ago levels ($20,583).
Showing the final push from the spring tax buying season, three cars (Entry-Level Car +0.1%; Upper Mid-Size Car +1.0%; Full-Size Car +0.1%) saw increases on the month. They were joined by three trucks also showing monthly increases (Full-Size Cargo Vans at +0.3%; Compact CUV at +0.4%; and Full-Size Passenger Vans at +0.5%).
Full Size CUV was the truck segment with the largest depreciation on the month at -0.8%. Vehicles in this segment include the Porsche Cayenne, Audi Q7, Cadillac SRX and Buick Enclave. Vehicles in this segment finished the month at $20,723, a -15.8% change from a year ago ($24,626).
“The fact that we’re looking at overall unchanged depreciation levels across used vehicle segments in late April is a testament to the stretched spring season we’ve had this year,” said Anil Goyal, Vice President of Automotive Valuation and Analytics for Black Book. “Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see if the remainder of the year will outperform market expectations.”
Here is the complete breakdown of Black Book-recorded April value changes of used vehicles (2009-2013):
| Seg | 5/1/14 | 4/1/15 | 1M Chg | 5/1/15 | 3M Chg | 12M Chg | |||
| Vehicle Segment | $ | $ | % | $ | % | % | |||
| All Vehicles | $21,756 | $18,997 | +0.0% | $19,000 | -1.8% | -12.7% | |||
| Domestic Car | $14,326 | $11,906 | +1.1% | $12,042 | +1.2% | -15.9% | |||
| Domestic Truck | $20,891 | $18,602 | +1.5% | $18,873 | +0.4% | -9.7% | |||
| Import Car | $22,385 | $19,166 | -0.8% | $19,014 | -3.2% | -15.1% | |||
| Import Truck | $24,423 | $21,818 | -0.2% | $21,770 | -2.3% | -10.9% | |||
| Premium Sporty Car | PSC | $52,159 | $45,634 | -1.3% | $45,048 | -4.2% | -13.6% | ||
| Luxury Car | LLC | $25,711 | $21,418 | -1.0% | $21,197 | -3.3% | -17.6% | ||
| Near Luxury Car | NLC | $20,733 | $17,847 | -0.9% | $17,685 | -3.1% | -14.7% | ||
| Full-Size CUV | FXU | Trk | $24,626 | $20,892 | -0.8% | $20,723 | -2.7% | -15.8% | |
| Prestige Luxury Car | PLC | $40,946 | $34,424 | -0.6% | $34,211 | -4.2% | -16.4% | ||
| Luxury SUV | LSU | Trk | $39,457 | $34,597 | -0.5% | $34,418 | -3.1% | -12.8% | |
| Sporty Car | ESC | $22,374 | $19,630 | -0.5% | $19,533 | -1.9% | -12.7% | ||
| Mid-Size CUV | MXU | Trk | $22,412 | $19,436 | -0.4% | $19,358 | -2.8% | -13.6% | |
| Compact Pickup | CPT | Trk | $16,432 | $15,334 | -0.3% | $15,284 | -1.4% | -7.0% | |
| Mini Van Cargo | MVC | Trk | $11,838 | $9,979 | -0.2% | $9,963 | -3.0% | -15.8% | |
| Mid-Size Pickup | MPT | Trk | $17,533 | $16,126 | 0% | $16,126 | -1.8% | -8.0% | |
| Entry Level Car | ELC | $9,268 | $7,699 | +0.1% | $7,704 | -1.3% | -16.9% | ||
| Full-Size Car | FSC | $14,298 | $12,012 | +0.1% | $12,030 | -0.1% | -15.9% | ||
| Entry Mid-Size Car | EMC | $13,686 | $11,250 | +0.2% | $11,270 | -2.1% | -17.7% | ||
| Compact Car | SCC | $11,254 | $9,360 | +0.2% | $9,383 | -1.9% | -16.6% | ||
| Full-Size Van Cargo | FVC | Trk | $20,787 | $20,315 | +0.3% | $20,380 | +0.8% | -2.0% | |
| Compact CUV | CXU | Trk | $14,819 | $12,767 | +0.4% | $12,815 | -0.9% | -13.5% | |
| Full-Size Vans Wagon (Pass) | FVW | Trk | $19,083 | $19,468 | +0.5% | $19,570 | +0.5% | +2.6% | |
| Mid-Size SUV | MSU | Trk | $20,946 | $19,099 | +0.8% | $19,259 | +0.4% | -8.1% | |
| Upper Mid-Size Car | UMC | $13,180 | $10,976 | +1.0% | $11,090 | +1.3% | -15.9% | ||
| Mini Van Wagon (Pass) | MVW | Trk | $16,806 | $14,331 | +1.1% | $14,492 | -1.9% | -13.8% | |
| Sub Compact CUV | SXU | Trk | $21,700 | $17,900 | +1.7% | $18,200 | +1.7% | -16.1% | |
| Full-Size SUV | FSU | Trk | $24,966 | $21,918 | +1.8% | $22,302 | +0.2% | -10.7% | |
| Full-Size Pickup | FPT | Trk | $27,578 | $25,197 | +2.5% | $25,815 | +1.0% | -6.4% | |
| Compact SUV | CSU | Trk | $20,583 | $19,243 | +2.8% | $19,783 | +2.9% | -3.9% | |
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. For more information, please visit BlackBookAuto.com or call 800.554.1026.
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