The New Car Insights Report, brought to you by the AutoTrader.com Trend Engine, provides analysis of new car shopping activity on AutoTrader.com each month. The report takes an in-depth look at which new car models are making big moves, what s driving segment level changes, which new car models are the most viewed, and what s happening with asking prices. In the January Issue: Trucks, Trucks, and More Trucks Significant Interest in Full-Size Trucks is Another Positive Sign for the Economy Close Look at the Most-Viewed Trucks on AutoTrader.com Ford F-150, Heavy-Duty Trucks Claim Biggest Increases in Share of Interest As a top site for car shoppers with millions of unique visitors each month, AutoTrader.com and its site activity offer a unique, nationwide snapshot of the vehicles shoppers are considering. Segment Tracker: Full-Size Truck Segment Strong; Compact Car Segment Declines Price Tracker: Majority of Trucks Show Increases in Median Asking Prices Significant Interest in Full-Size Trucks is Another Positive Sign for the Economy Significant interest in full-size trucks is a positive sign for the economy, according to the January issue of the New Car Insights Report. Searches for these trucks heading into the new year were up dramatically from the year prior, with nine out of the top 20 most-viewed models on AutoTrader.com coming from this segment. Four of those trucks were not in the top 20 the year before, showing that this renewed interest in trucks is fueled by factors beyond seasonality. Because full-size trucks are closely associated with many construction-related fields, the increased interest in trucks is likely fueled by other positive indicators for the economy, including an increase in consumer confidence (reported by the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index), the year-over-year decrease in the unemployment rate (reported by Gallup) and increases in building permits (according to a joint release issued by the U.S. Census Bureau News and the U.S. Department of Housing). Conversely, interest in compact cars was down significantly according to site activity in December. During the same time a year prior, consumers were more wary about the economy and the unemployment rate was significantly higher, leading shoppers to search for less work-related vehicles and more affordable options. 1
Close Look at the Most-Viewed Trucks on AutoTrader.com Overall, full-size trucks accounted for nine of the top 20 most viewed vehicles on AutoTrader.com in December. The Ford F-150, which has long been the most-viewed vehicle on the site, again claimed the No. 1 spot. Rounding out the trucks included in the top 20 were the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 at No. 3, the Ram 1500 at No. 7, the Ford F-250 at No. 8, the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 at No. 9, the Ram 2500 at No. 13, the GMC Sierra 1500 at No. 16, the GMC Sierra 2500 at No. 19 and the Ford F-350 at No. 20. While many of these vehicles stayed relatively flat in their ranking month-over-month, there were four newcomers to the top 20 that were not on the list during the same period the year before. New to the top 20 were the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 (up 18 spots year-over-year), the Ram 2500 (up 12 spots year-over-year), the GMC Sierra 2500 (up 28 spots year-over-year) and the Ford F-350 (up 16 spots year-over-year). Figure 1: Top 20 Most-Viewed Models by New Vehicle Interest Make Model Change Change from Nov '11 from Dec '10 from Dec '09 1 Ford F-150 0 0 0 2 Ford Mustang 0 0 8 3 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 0 0 0 4 Jeep Wrangler 0 7 8 5 Chevrolet Camaro 0 8 2 6 Jeep Grand Cherokee 1 4 67 7 Ram 1500 1 2 1 8 Ford F-250 1 7 3 9 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 1 18 9 10 Dodge Challenger 2 14 15 11 Toyota Tacoma 0 9 3 12 Chevrolet Corvette 1 11 20 13 Ram 2500 1 12 17 14 Ford Explorer 0 25 102 15 Dodge Charger 0 69 52 16 GMC Sierra 1500 0 0 3 17 Chrysler 300 0 74 75 18 Chevrolet Tahoe 0 11 5 19 GMC Sierra 2500 1 28 34 20 Ford F-350 1 16 16 Change Ford F-150, Heavy-Duty Trucks Claim Big Increases in Share of Interest Trend of Share (prev 13 mo) While the Ford F-150 is often the most-viewed vehicle on the site, a close look at its total share of site activity showed that it has actually claimed the biggest increase of all the heavy-duty trucks in share of interest from shoppers both month-over-month and year-over-year. From November to December 2011, the F-150 s share increased 15.7%, and its increase in share from December 2010 was even greater, at 76.9%. 2
A few other of the most-viewed trucks on the site also claimed large increases in share of interest year-overyear, with the GMC Sierra 2500 increasing 65.3%, the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 increasing 63.6%, the Ford F- 350 increasing 38.4%, the Ram 2500 increasing 34.5% and the Ford F-250 increasing 31.8%. According to AutoTrader.com analysts, these notable increases in larger trucks that are typically associated with work-related endeavors fully supports the notion that the trend is fueled by the positive economic indicators surrounding jobs and consumer confidence. Figure 2: By the Numbers - Increase in Share of Interest for Most-Viewed Trucks Make Model Share Increase from Nov 2011 Share Increase from Dec 2010 Nov 2011 Dec 2010 Ford F-150 15.7% 76.9% 1 1 1 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 3.8% 20.9% 3 3 3 Ram 1500 5.1% 4.9% 7 6 5 Ford F-250-0.4% 31.8% 8 9 15 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 3.6% 63.6% 9 10 27 Ram 2500 2.8% 34.5% 13 12 25 GMC Sierra 1500 0.9% -5.6% 16 16 16 GMC Sierra 2500 4.1% 65.3% 19 20 47 Ford F-350 4.0% 38.4% 20 21 36 Segment Tracker: Full-Size Truck Segment Strong while Compact Car Segment Declines With increases in the top full-size truck models, it is no surprise that the segment as a whole has seen a dramatic increase. Month-over-month, the full-size truck segment increased 1.2 share points, but the most significant changes can be seen when compared one and two years back. From December 2010, the segment s share of interest increased 5.4 points, and from December 2009, the share of interest increased 7.2 points an impressive feat for this already well-developed segment. According to AutoTrader.com analysts, the sheer sizes of these increases heading into 2012 are very positive indicators for the economy. Figure 3: Segment Tracker - All Segments by Share of New Vehicle Interest 3 Segment Nov '11 Dec '10 Dec '09 1 Full-size Truck 1.2 5.4 7.2 2 Midsize Truck 0.2-0.1 1.2 3 Luxury Car 0.0-0.5-1.7 4 Compact Car -0.7-4.2-5.0 5 Sports Car -0.1 2.9 3.3 6 Midsize Car -0.2-3.3-4.3 7 Luxury SUV -0.4-0.3-0.1 8 Compact SUV -0.2-1.2-0.5 9 Full-size SUV 0.2 1.1 1.1 10 Full-size Car 0.1 0.8-0.1 11 Compact Truck 0.0 0.4 0.4 12 Van 0.0-1.1-1.6 13 Exotic -0.1 0.1 0.1 Trend of Share (prev 13 mo)
Conversely, the extent of the declining interest in compact cars was very evident when looking at the segmentlevel information. While it only showed a slight decline of 0.7 share points month-over-month, the compact car segment declined 4.2 share points from December 2010 and a full 5.0 share points from December 2009. All of the 10 most viewed compact cars on the site in December showed declines in interest from November to December 2011, including the Hyundai Veloster, which at first benefitted from an introduction that landed it among the biggest movers on the site in previous New Car Insights Reports. Compact cars were very popular during the more uncertain economic times, as they offered exciting features and functionality at prices consumers could afford. However, the tide appears to be turning toward the larger and more expensive vehicles, according to AutoTrader.com analysts. Figure 4: Compact Car Segment - Share of Interest for 10 Most Viewed Models Price Tracker: Majority of Trucks Show Increases in Median Asking Prices Median asking prices for the most-viewed full-size trucks coincided with their popularity, with the majority showing price increases. The Ford F-150 claimed the biggest month-over-month and year-over-year increases, up 1.2% from November to December 2011 and up 4.5% from December 2010 to December 2011. Other full-size trucks to show notable year-over-year price increases were the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, up 2.6%, the GMC Sierra 1500 up 2.8% and the GMC Sierra 2500 up 2.6%. One major factor influencing the price of vehicles is demand, so the increased interest in these vehicles is likely a contributing factor to the price hikes. Prices of larger trucks in the segment, on the other hand, have dropped slightly which may not be surprising due to their higher starting price tags. 4
Figure 5: Price Tracker for Top 20 Most-Viewed Models by New Vehicle Interest Make Model Median Inventory Listing Price from Nov '11 from Dec '10 from Dec '09 1 Ford F-150 $38,490 1.2% 4.5% 8.5% 2 Ford Mustang $30,515-2.5% -7.7% -2.8% 3 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 $34,905 0.6% 2.6% 0.3% 4 Jeep Wrangler $31,380-0.1% 6.5% 9.2% 5 Chevrolet Camaro $33,865-2.5% 4.9% -2.9% 6 Jeep Grand Cherokee $38,172-0.3% 3.6% 5.4% 7 Ram 1500 $34,620-0.2% -2.3% 1.2% 8 Ford F-250 $48,215 0.1% -0.6% 4.4% 9 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 $41,326-1.3% -3.6% -2.0% 10 Dodge Challenger $30,815-1.3% -3.4% -18.7% 11 Toyota Tacoma $29,272 0.1% 2.4% 5.4% 12 Chevrolet Corvette $62,988-1.0% -0.8% 1.8% 13 Ram 2500 $46,955 0.1% 0.3% -1.3% 14 Ford Explorer $38,686-0.5% 6.3% 10.3% 15 Dodge Charger $30,595-1.6% 12.1% 5.4% 16 GMC Sierra 1500 $36,660 0.4% 2.8% 1.3% 17 Chrysler 300 $35,346-2.0% 7.0% 2.5% 18 Chevrolet Tahoe $49,575 0.7% 0.6% -0.5% 19 GMC Sierra 2500 $48,207 2.1% 2.6% 6.2% 20 Ford F-350 $52,310 0.2% -0.5% 5.7% About AutoTrader.com Atlanta-based AutoTrader.com, created in 1997, is the Internet's ultimate automotive marketplace and consumer information website. AutoTrader.com aggregates in a single location millions of new cars, used cars and certified pre-owned cars from thousands of auto dealers and private sellers and is a leading online resource for auto dealers, individuals and manufacturers to advertise and market their vehicles to in-market shoppers. The company also provides a robust suite of software tools for dealers and manufacturers to help them manage and market their vehicle inventory and display advertising on the Internet. AutoTrader.com continues to grow key business metrics, including revenue, profitability and site traffic. Today, AutoTrader.com attracts millions of unique monthly visitors who utilize the site to review descriptions, photos and videos of vehicles for sale; research and compare vehicles; review pricing and specials; and read auto-related content like buying and selling tips and editorial coverage of major auto shows and automotive trends. AutoTrader.com operates one other auto marketing brand, AutoTraderClassics.com. AutoTrader.com also owns used vehicle management software company vauto, Kelley Blue Book (Kbb.com), HomeNet Automotive, a leading provider of online inventory management and merchandising solutions for the automotive retail industry and VinSolutions, a leading provider of end-to-end solution platforms for dealers. AutoTrader.com is a majorityowned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. Providence Equity Partners is a 25 percent owner of the company and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is also an investor. For more information, please visit www.autotrader.com. 5