Greatest Showing in Years: Luxury Vehicles Take Over kbb.com Most Researched New Car List
Mercedes C-Class, E-Class and CLK Join the List
Kelley Blue Book, the trusted resource for used and new automotive information, generated more than 28 million consumer pricing requests on its Web site kbb.com in September. Based on pricing reports generated, Mercedes bucked the pickup trend with several of their luxury models unexpectedly making the September list.
With the phenomenon of zero percent financing, no interest ever, and some of the best deals in decades, many consumers are finding their way into luxury vehicles.
"The amount of money it once took to buy a Chrysler Sebring or 300m, can now buy a Mercedes C-class," said Charlie Vogelheim, executive editor of Kelley Blue Book. "The current economic conditions and dealer incentives allowed companies like Mercedes and BMW to sell into new markets and have a huge presence on our top 50 list for September."
Another mover and shaker on the 'Top 50 Most Researched' list was the 2003 Nissan 350Z. It's no surprise that this car moved up 16 notches to No. 11 on September's list. This racing-inspired sports car hit the market in September with a lot of hype and double the interest.
Predictably, September's top five are a carbon copy of the last several months, but in shuffled order. Chevy/GMC Silverado and Sierra trucks again top the 'Kelley Blue Book Top 50 Most Researched' list at No. 1. Honda still holds two coveted spots in the top five with the Accord and Civic and have been jockeying for position against the pickups all year -- and even succeeded a few times.
Rated one of America's best-selling vehicles, the Toyota Camry holds strong to number five this month. While the company has yet to clench the No. 1 position, Toyota regularly sees nine of its models on the Kelley Blue Book list each month.
SUVs remained strong in September with Ford leading the charge with its Explorer, Expedition and compact model, Escape.
About Kelley Blue Book
Kelley Blue Book, (http://www.kbb.com/) the most trusted vehicle information resource, provides comprehensive automotive information and up-to-date pricing on thousands of used and new vehicles. Since 1926, the company has empowered car buyers and sellers by providing them with accurate information to make well-informed automotive decisions. Kelley Blue Book offers timely and reliable vehicle pricing via products and services for both the auto industry and the general consumer, including the famous Blue Book Official Guides, software and the Internet. Launched in 1995, kbb.com has become the No. 1 automotive information site according to Nielsen//NetRatings, and JD Power and Associates studies show that more consumers purchase vehicles after visiting kbb.com than any other Internet site.
Top 50 - Most Researched Cars at kbb.com During September 2002 1 Chevrolet / GMC Pickups (Silverado & Sierra) 2 Honda Accord 3 Ford Pickups (F Series) 4 Honda Civic 5 Toyota Camry 6 Ford Explorer 7 Nissan Altima 8 BMW 3 Series 9 Volkswagen Jetta 10 Nissan 350Z 11 Dodge Ram Pickups 12 Ford Mustang 13 Volkswagen Passat 14 Chevrolet / GMC Tahoe / Yukon 15 Toyota Highlander 16 Toyota Tacoma 17 Toyota Corolla 18 Honda Odyssey 19 Ford Escape 20 Chevrolet TrailBlazer 21 Honda Pilot 22 Ford Expedition 23 Toyota Sequoia 24 Mercedes-Benz C-Class 25 Jeep Liberty 26 Chrysler / Dodge Voyager / Caravan 27 Nissan Maxima 28 Jeep Grand Cherokee 29 Ford Focus 30 Audi A4 31 Mitsubishi Eclipse 32 Honda CR-V 33 Mercedes-Benz E-Class 34 BMW 5 Series 35 Mercedes-Benz CLK-Class 36 Toyota Tundra 37 Acura TL 38 Acura MDX 39 Dodge Dakota Pickups 40 Nissan Xterra 41 Chevrolet / GMC S10 / Sonoma 42 Toyota 4Runner 43 Ford Ranger 44 Hyundai Santa Fe 45 Toyota RAV4 46 Infiniti G35 47 Toyota Avalon 48 BMW X5 49 Nissan Sentra 50 Mini Cooper
SOURCE: Kelley Blue Book
CONTACT: Robyn Eckard of Kelley Blue Book, +1-949-770-7704, ext. 8349,
or reckard@kbb.com
Web site: http://www.kbb.com/
Director, Public Relations |
|
|
For general or customer service inquiries, please call 1-800-258-3266. |
||
|