ATLANTA, Dec. 26, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- 2014 was once again the year of the truck for car shoppers, as the Ford F-150 retained its place as the most popular nameplate on AutoTrader.com across new, used and CPO vehicles. The F-150's crosstown rival, the Chevrolet Silverado, was the second most popular new and CPO vehicle but it came in third behind the Jeep Wrangler on the used side. Among new cars, trucks and SUVs took seven of the top ten spots, including vehicles like the RAM 1500, GMC Sierra, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ford F-250.  Trucks and SUVs were five of the top ten used cars, and four of the top ten CPO vehicles.

"The preponderance of large vehicles indicates an improving economy, as sales of pickup trucks correlate with housing starts and construction," said Michelle Krebs, AutoTrader.com senior analyst. "Lower gas prices and many new or refreshed entries also helped boost new truck popularity, particularly in the back half of the year."

Interest in sports cars also surged in 2014 across new, used and CPO vehicles, led by the Corvette. Shopper interest in the iconic Chevrolet grew sharply year-over-year both on the all-new model and used versions. On the CPO side, the Porsche 911 saw the most growth, moving up five places to crack the top ten most popular vehicles of the year.

While trucks, SUVs and sports cars enjoyed a boom, mainstream midsize sedans underwent a bit of a bust in 2014 as more car shoppers opted to go for the bigger and faster. CPO saw the most strength in the mainstream midsize category, with the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Volkswagen Jetta landing in the top 20, but only the Ford Fusion and Honda Accord made the top 20 most popular new vehicles, and the Accord was the lone entry on the used list.

"The midsize sedan segment also slumped in 2014 in terms of sales, and as a result saw the heftiest incentives," Krebs said. "If gas prices continue to stay low in 2015, it will be interesting to see if this segment remains stagnant, or if the automakers will be able to revive it with freshened products and creative marketing efforts."

The most popular vehicles are determined by analyzing the number of car shoppers who click on a listing for a car for sale on AutoTrader.com. This methodology goes beyond search to illustrate which cars shoppers are actively interested in learning more about, and is reflective of the actual vehicles dealers are offering for sale.

AutoTrader has more than 4.5 million listings of new, used and CPO vehicles for sale from more than 20,000 dealers and 84,000 private sellers, making it the ideal bellwether of trends in the retail automotive market. More than 18 million people on average visit AutoTrader every month to research and shop for their next vehicle.

2014 Most Popular Vehicles on AutoTrader.com

About AutoTrader.com 
Created in 1997, Atlanta-based AutoTrader.com is the Internet's ultimate automotive marketplace. As a leading resource for car shoppers and sellers, AutoTrader.com aggregates millions of new, used and certified pre-owned cars from thousands of dealers and private sellers and provides expert articles and reviews. AutoTrader.com, which also operates the AutoTraderClassics.com auto marketing brand, is wholly owned by AutoTrader Group. Additionally, AutoTrader Group owns Kelley Blue Book (KBB.com®) as well as companies that provide a full suite of software tools that help dealers and manufacturers manage their inventory and advertising online: vAuto®, HomeNet Automotive®, VinSolutions®, AIS Rebates™, Genius Labs® and Haystak™. AutoTrader Group is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. For more information, please visit http://press.autotrader.com.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110425/CL88097LOGO

SOURCE AutoTrader.com