Car Blog

Honda has earned the Best Value Brand and Most Trusted Brand categories in the 2012 Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Awards. Based on consumer perception data from the company’s Brand Watch study, the Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Awards honor the automotive brands that have most successfully captured positive consumer attention.

American Honda’s Executive Vice President of Sales John Mendel accepted both awards yesterday at the New York Auto Show from Kelley Blue Book President Jared Rowe. “We are honored to accept two awards that point so directly to Honda’s core tenets,” Mendel said. “With Honda constantly striving to earn trust by providing the finest overall ownership value, it’s inspiring to see those efforts resonating with consumers.”

“With standout vehicles, memorable marketing and positive word of mouth, the winners of Kelley Blue Book’s 2012 Brand Image Awards have secured enviable positions in the minds of in-market shoppers,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com. Read the rest of this entry »

Kelley Blue Book, the leading provider of new car and used car information, announced the most-researched new vehicles of 2011 on the company’s top-rated website, www.kbb.com.

In addition, Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com reveals the top five brands with the greatest share of market interest for 2011.

Kbb.com’s Top 20 Most-Researched New Vehicles of 2011

This year’s success story is the Hyundai Elantra, entering the top 20 most-researched new vehicles list at No. 7, jumping 29 positions from 2010.  Elantra’s victory can be attributed to the vehicle’s top-rated fuel efficiency, affordability, superior redesign and Hyundai’s increased popularity among consumers.  Read the rest of this entry »

2012 Audi Q7 and 2012 Audi A5 receive recognition

Audi announced that it received three 2012 Best Resale Value Awards from Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com, the leading provider of new and used vehicle information. The annual Kelley Blue Book Best Resale Value Awards recognize vehicles expected to maintain the greatest proportion of their original list price after five years of ownership. The 2012 Audi Q7 received two awards, and the 2012 Audi A5 also received recognition.

“At Audi, it is always our goal to produce dynamic, top performing vehicles that retain their value.  We’re proud that the 2012 Audi Q7 and A5 have received a stamp of approval from Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com,” said Johan de Nysschen, President, Audi of America.

The 2012 Audi Q7 was named Best Resale Value in the Luxury Utility Vehicle class, and was one of the Top 10 cars with Best Resale Value according to Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com.  The seven-passenger Audi Q7 exceeds driver and passenger expectations for functionality and comfort. Q7 customers have the option of a gasoline turbocharged, fuel-injected 3.0 liter TFSI engine, or a powerful yet fuel efficient V6 turbocharged direct injection TDI clean diesel engine. The Audi Q7 features a luxurious, premium interior including heated and available cooled, twelve-way power front seats, fore and aft adjustable rear middle seats, and foldable seats in the third row. For maximum comfort, an available panoramic roof gives the cabin a light, open feeling. The 2012 Audi Q7 offers the most advanced Audi technologies available, including Audi connect with a rolling Wi-Fi® Hotspot for up to eight devices and Google Voice Local Search. The Audi music interface with iPod®/iPhone® connectivity ensures user friendly perusing of play lists and song titles via the Audi MMI system. A full complement of airbags, including Sideguard® head curtain airbags for all three rows of seats ensures passengers stay safe. Read the rest of this entry »

In an effort to provide the most market reflective and granular used-car values in every state, Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the leading provider of new car and used car information, announces it will provide values for 51 regions, delivering some of the most comprehensive values available to consumers and the automotive industry today.

Regional values are now updated weekly for all of Kelley Blue Book’s used-car values, including; lending, auction, trade-in, private party, certified pre-owned and suggested retail.  These values found on the company’s top-rated website kbb.com and within the company’s valuation products, allow anyone looking to buy or sell a used vehicle to know its value in their specific market that week.  The company also is adding ‘Very Good’ as a vehicle condition to better reflect the value adjustments for these vehicles in the used-car market. Read the rest of this entry »

Kelley Blue Book reports that fuel-efficient vehicle values are likely to fall 15 percent by year-end in response to stabilizing gas prices and a return to normal production levels for Japanese manufacturers, as covered in the company’s Blue Book Market Report for July 2011.

After 20 weeks of consecutive gains, values for gas-sipping vehicles peaked in May in response to a decline in fuel prices.  During the last 4 to 6 weeks, values of compacts and subcompacts declined approximately 1 to 2 percent, along with the overall market; however, Kelley Blue Book’s valuation team expects the overall used-vehicle market to decline no more than an additional 3 to 5 percent between now and the end of the year.  With fuel-efficient used vehicles reaching their peak in demand and price, larger drops are expected in this segment.

During 2011, Kelley Blue Book has reported remarkable strength among values of fuel-efficient subcompact, compact and hybrid cars.  From January through May of this year, fuel-efficient vehicle values increased a noteworthy 20 to 25 percent, far surpassing the overall used-car market average increase of 5 percent during the same time period.  This steep increase can be attributed to the following: Read the rest of this entry »

Toyota Values Perform In Line with Competitors; Company Fails to Sway Many New-Car Shoppers

Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com announces the release of its special report Toyota: One Year Later, providing an in-depth look at Toyota one year after its major recall crisis began in January 2010.  The comprehensive report from Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com includes a detailed look at Toyota’s new- and used-car values over the past year; up-to-date shopper data providing consumer opinions, vehicle consideration and safety perceptions of Toyota since the recall crisis began; expert industry analysis from kbb.com’s executive market analysts; and more.

Report Overview

Despite Toyota’s recall woes of 2010, the brand’s used-car values held strong throughout the year.  Among the best-performing used Toyotas were 2007-2009 model-years Camry, RAV4, Highlander, Sienna and Yaris, primarily due to their offering of solid fuel economy in an affordable package.  Meanwhile, used vehicles from Toyota’s luxury sister brand Lexus underperformed the market throughout 2010 along with all luxury brands, primarily due to the economic concerns of used-car shoppers. Read the rest of this entry »