New-Car Sales To Start New Year Strong At 15.1 Million Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate

  New-Car Sales To Start New Year Strong At 15.1 Million Seasonally Adjusted
                                 Annual Rate

All Automakers Poised for Strong January Sales; Redesigns, New Introductions
Drive Top-Selling Segments

PR Newswire

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 29, 2013

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As January comes to a close,
analysts predict that new-car sales are positioned to surpass 15.1 million
seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), marking a 13 percent year-over-year
improvement, according to Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the leading provider
of new and used car information.  (Please note that there was an additional
selling day in January this year; after adjusting for the difference in
selling days, sales are expected to increase 8 percent year-over-year).

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121108/LA08161LOGO)  

"January tends to be the slowest month of the year, largely due to a
significant number of buyers who purchase new cars in December to take
advantage of year-end clearance events," said Alec Gutierrez, senior market
analyst of automotive insights for Kelley Blue Book.  "Although the deals
available in January typically are not as attractive as they are in December,
consumers should have little trouble finding a great price on the vehicle of
their choosing this month."

According to Kelley Blue Book^® Fair Purchase Price data, new vehicles are
selling for 94 percent of MSRP on average, which is in line with prices seen
last year.  In addition to affordable pricing, inventory levels are very good
for most makes and models.  As of January 1, 2013, there was a 59-days supply
of vehicles available for sale at dealerships nationwide, which is slightly
better than the 52-days supply available in January 2012.  Affordable
financing also remains widely available, even for subprime borrowers.  In
fact, according to Experian's Q3 State of Automotive Financing webinar, the
average credit score for a new-car loan decreased by 8 points year-over-year,
indicating that auto lenders are opening up credit to additional buyers.

Automakers Poised for Strong January Sales

Kelley Blue Book expects solid gains for all automakers in January 2013.  The
most significant year-over-year increases will continue to come from Honda,
Toyota and Volkswagen, with each brand expected to see a year-over-year
increase of 20 percent or more. 

"The Honda Accord, CR-V and Civic are expected to remain at the top of their
respective categories, thanks to fresh redesigns last year, which should help
to push Honda sales up around 25 percent," said Gutierrez.  "Toyota is
expected to increase an equally impressive 22 percent this month in large part
to its Camry, Corolla and Prius family of vehicles.  The redesigned 2013 RAV4
is just starting to arrive at dealerships and will not play a significant role
in January's sales total; however, it could help give Toyota additional
momentum in the months ahead." 

Among the domestic manufacturers, Kelley Blue Book anticipates Ford to post
the greatest gains with a nearly 16 percent increase from this time last
year.  Annual gains will be most pronounced for the Ford Focus, Fusion and
Escape, as each were redesigned last year.

Kelley Blue Book:  Big Gains Expected for All
Automakers in January 2013
                               Sales Volume                Market Share
Manufacturer                   Jan-13      Jan-12    YOY%  Jan-13 Jan-12 YOY
General Motors                 180,000     167,962   7.2%  17.4%  18.4%  -0.9%
Ford Motor Company             158,000     136,294   15.9% 15.3%  14.9%  0.4%
Toyota Motor Company           152,000     124,540   22.0% 14.7%  13.6%  1.1%
Chrysler Group                 118,000     101,149   16.7% 11.4%  11.1%  0.4%
American Honda                 104,000     83,009    25.3% 10.1%  9.1%   1.0%
Hyundai-Kia                    87,500      78,211    11.9% 8.5%   8.6%   -0.1%
Nissan North America           85,000      79,313    7.2%  8.2%   8.7%   -0.4%
Volkswagen                     45,500      36,133    25.9% 4.4%   4.0%   0.4%
Total                          1,032,000   913,284   13.0% -      -      -
*Includes brands not shown

Redesigns to Lead the Way for Top-Selling Segments

During the past two model years, nearly every vehicle in the mid-size car,
compact car, small crossover and subcompact car segments were significantly
redesigned. 

"Consumers in the market for a new vehicle in the months to come have a
plethora of vehicles to choose from that offer the latest technological
advancements and fuel economy approaching 40 mpg," said Gutierrez.  "Kelley
Blue Book expects small crossovers to lead in gains for January with help from
the redesigned Honda CR-V, Ford Escape and newly introduced Mazda CX-5." 

The Honda CR-V, Ford Escape and Mazda CX-5 were not available in current form
at this time last year, which leads Kelley Blue Book analysts to believe there
will be a significant improvement year-over-year.  Mid-size and compact cars
will not be too far behind, with each expected to increase more than 10
percent from last year.  Both mid-size and compact car segments also will
benefit heavily from redesigns and new introductions such as the Toyota Camry,
Honda Accord, Ford Fusion, Honda Civic, Dodge Dart and a host of other
vehicles.

Kelley Blue Book:  Small CUVs to Lead Annual Gains
in January 2013
                             Sales Volume                  Market Share
Segment                      Jan-13       Jan-12     YOY%  Jan-13 Jan-12 YOY
Mid-Size Car                 177,500      158,234    12.2% 17.2%  17.3%  -0.1%
Compact Car                  157,000      135,880    15.5% 15.2%  14.9%  0.3%
Compact Crossover            122,700      103,032    19.1% 11.9%  11.3%  0.6%
Full-Size Pickup Truck       114,500      101,312    13.0% 11.1%  11.1%  0.0%
Subcompact Car               48,100       44,061     9.2%  4.7%   4.8%   -0.2%
Total                        1,032,000    913,284    13.0% -      -      -
*Includes segments not shown

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About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)

Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the only vehicle
valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and
the industry.  Each week the company provides the most market-reflective
values in the industry on its top-rated website www.kbb.com, including its
famous Blue Book® Trade-In and Suggested Retail Values and Fair Purchase
Price, which reports what others are paying for new cars this week.  The
company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and
services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance
companies as well as governmental agencies.  KBB.com provides consumer pricing
and information on cars for sale, minivans, pickup trucks, sedan, hybrids,
electric cars, and SUVs.  Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. is a wholly owned
subsidiary of AutoTrader Group.

 

SOURCE Kelley Blue Book

Website: http://www.kbb.com
Contact: Joanna Pinkham, +1-949-268-3079, jpinkham@kbb.com, or Brenna
Robinson, +1-949-267-4781, berobinson@kbb.com, or Natalie Kumaratne,
+1-949-267-4770, nkumaratne@kbb.com