In Spite of U.S. Auto Industry Woes, US Brands Hold Majority of New and Used Spots on AutoTrader.com's Monthly Trend Engine Report; Chrysler Brands Dodge & Jeep Hold Strong

ATLANTA, May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- In its first month available for searching on AutoTrader.com, the new 2010 Chevy Camaro burned rubber into the top 5 new automobiles searched on AutoTrader.com in April, reaching No. 4 on the AutoTrader.com monthly Trend Engine report of the top 20 new and used cars searched on the site. Chevy has aggressively promoted the new Camaro through tie-ins with the Transformers movies, at auto shows across the country and through mass media and on-line marketing, including a feature spot on AutoTrader.com's New Model Showcase. Enthusiasm for the reborn classic muscle car has clearly been stoked.

The Camaro is hitting the market at a time when interest in new sports and muscle cars seems to be at a high. Of the top 20 new cars in the April Trend Engine report, seven were sporty, powerful models. In addition to the Camaro, the Nissan GT-R came out of nowhere to hit No. 19 on the top 20 list and the new Nissan 370Z landed at No. 7. The new Dodge Challenger came in at No. 3 and the new Pontiac G8 at No. 14, the same positions they held last month on the top 20 list. The Chevy Corvette reached No. 6 on the list of most searched cars in April, up from No. 32 in April of 2008 and up from No. 9 last month. The new Ford Mustang took the No. 1 spot in April, up from No. 4 in April of 2008 and up from No. 2 last month.

"The drum beat of negative economic news seems to be spurring some fantasy or escapist shopping among the general public," said AutoTrader.com President and CEO Chip Perry. "Manufacturers have done a great job designing, building and marketing some very exciting cars and are getting attention from shoppers on our site. These shoppers will turn into buyers when the economy recovers and, after hunkering down and cutting back for so long, some of them may be more willing to indulge with a sporty car they may not have considered in the past."

The well-publicized challenges of the domestic auto manufacturers have not dented their vehicles' popularity among new or used car shoppers on AutoTrader.com. On the top 20 lists of both new and used cars searched for on the site, domestic manufacturers claimed 12 of the top 20 spots, with foreign manufacturers holding the other eight spots on both lists.

Of particular interest, Chrysler brands Jeep and Dodge showed continued strength on both the new and used Trend Engine top 20 lists. Although Chrysler's challenges are well known and the company recently declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the new Jeep Wrangler hit No. 8 on the April Trend Engine Top 20 list, up from No. 9 in April of 2008 and up from No. 10 last month. On the used car list, the Dodge Ram 1500 ranked No. 8 in searches in April, up from No. 11 in April of 2008 but down a bit from No. 7 last month.

"The good news for Chrysler is that they have some very loyal customers as demonstrated in this month's Trend Engine report," said Perry. "Dodge and Jeep are both iconic brands and it apparently takes more than financial troubles to get shoppers to stop looking at their vehicles. If Chrysler is able to reorganize in a way that makes financial sense, there is a strong base of shoppers still interested in their vehicles."

In the used car market, trucks and SUVs continue to dominate the Trend Engine report, taking 11 of the top 20 spaces. Average prices for used trucks and SUVs remain down compared to April 2008, reflecting the continued glut in inventory, but searches for most of these vehicles continue to increase, meaning that glut may not last long if more people start buying.

In April, AutoTrader.com had about 15.1 million unique monthly visitors, the site's fifth month in a row with unique visitor traffic north of 15 million.

"More and more consumers are finding the internet to be the best source for information on inventory, features, dealer specials and more in their car shopping process," said Perry. "With a depth of information unavailable anywhere else, sites like AutoTrader.com are becoming the first - and sometimes the only stop - for car buyers looking for information and inventory."

About AutoTrader.com

AutoTrader.com, created in 1997 and headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., is the Internet's leading auto classifieds marketplace and consumer information website. AutoTrader.com aggregates in a single location about 3 million new cars, used cars and certified pre-owned cars from thousands of auto dealers and private owners. The site attracts about 15 million unique monthly visitors. Through innovative merchandising functionality such as multiple photos, videos, detailed descriptions and comprehensive research and compare tools, AutoTrader.com unites new and used car buyers and sellers online to improving the way people research, locate and advertise vehicles. AutoTrader.com is a majority-owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. The venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is also an investor. For more information, please visit www.autotrader.com.

    MAKE       MODEL     Rank  Rank  Change    Avg Price  Avg Price  Change
                        04/09 04/08 from 04/08 - 04/09    - 04/08  from 04/08

                                   New Cars

    Ford       Mustang      1     4  -31.34%   $32,631.61  $31,043.36   5.12%
    Ford       F-150        2     3  -60.03%   $34,041.37  $31,437.38   8.28%
    Dodge      Challenger   3   194  510.48%   $37,085.95  $51,934.33 -28.59%
    Chevrolet  Camaro       4   N/A     N/A    $31,397.14         N/A    N/A
    Chevrolet  Silverado
                1500        5     7  -55.13%   $31,710.58  $30,154.33   5.16%
    Chevrolet  Corvette     6    32   -9.89%   $61,031.32  $60,748.09   0.47%
    Nissan     350Z/370Z    7   101  108.75%   $36,497.86  $34,724.95   5.11%
    Jeep       Wrangler     8     9  -55.20%   $27,640.12  $27,619.36   0.08%
    Dodge      Ram 1500     9    19  -35.36%   $34,024.27  $31,309.52   8.67%
    Honda      Accord      10     1  -79.39%   $25,670.20  $25,319.02   1.39%
    Honda      Civic       11     5  -70.75%   $20,734.22  $19,789.62   4.77%
    Ford       F-250       12    44  -15.00%   $42,666.03  $42,949.31  -0.66%
    Ford       Fusion      13    14  -53.60%   $23,198.62  $21,779.24   6.52%
    Pontiac    G8          14    43  -24.80%   $32,533.64  $30,983.07   5.00%
    Nissan     Altima      15     8  -68.50%   $24,442.70  $24,381.30   0.25%
    Toyota     Tundra      16    10  -70.08%   $33,636.31  $33,996.39  -1.06%
    Toyota     Camry       17     2  -82.26%   $24,358.71  $24,500.94  -0.58%
    Toyota     Tacoma      18    11  -70.04%   $25,590.98  $25,399.35   0.75%
    Nissan     GT-R        19   N/A     N/A    $84,568.89         N/A    N/A
    Chevrolet  Tahoe       20    31  -49.88%   $47,938.84  $45,398.37   5.60%

                                   Used Cars

    Ford       F-150        1     3   16.02%   $17,735.23  $17,974.80  -1.33%
    Ford       Mustang      2     1   -4.50%   $16,660.35  $17,859.76  -6.72%
    BMW        3-Series     3     2   -9.02%   $24,705.91  $26,208.91  -5.73%
    Chevrolet  Silverado
                1500        4     6   15.53%   $17,494.17  $18,203.88  -3.90%
    Honda      Accord       5     5  -22.70%   $15,250.46  $16,495.39  -7.55%
    Honda      Civic        6     4  -27.58%   $13,363.65  $14,489.83  -7.77%
    Infiniti   G35/G37      7     7   -1.03%   $21,665.29  $22,636.61  -4.29%
    Dodge      Ram 1500     8    11   14.44%   $16,103.96  $16,463.73  -2.19%
    Ford       F-250        9    17   38.83%   $21,362.65  $23,974.57 -10.89%
    Jeep       Wrangler    10    15   19.36%   $16,897.42  $18,156.49  -6.93%
    Chevrolet  Tahoe       11    16   20.93%   $23,021.56  $21,903.69   5.10%
    Audi       A4          12    13   -5.88%   $20,289.79  $21,620.40  -6.15%
    Nissan     Altima      13     8  -21.80%   $14,195.08  $15,076.57  -5.85%
    Toyota     Tacoma      14    10  -14.97%   $17,755.83  $18,961.78  -6.36%
    Jeep       Grand
                Cherokee   15    14   -5.12%   $15,056.11  $16,298.78  -7.62%
    Chevrolet  Silverado
                2500       16    25   32.34%   $20,988.85  $23,015.10  -8.80%
    Dodge      Ram 2500    17    31   36.01%   $21,973.11  $23,927.29  -8.17%
    Chevrolet  Corvette    18    22    9.21%   $35,272.02  $39,006.31  -9.57%
    Ford       Explorer    19    19  -10.11%   $14,905.11  $15,457.07  -3.57%
    Volkswagen Jetta       20     9  -32.11%   $12,467.24  $14,135.17 -11.80%



    MAKE       MODEL     Rank  Rank  Change    Avg Price  Avg Price  Change
                        04/09 04/08 from 04/08 - 04/09    - 04/08  from 04/08

                                  Certified Pre-Owned

    BMW       3-Series      1     1  -15.56%   $31,238.99  $32,373.13  -3.50%
    Honda     Accord        2     2  -30.55%   $17,815.32  $18,577.10  -4.10%
    Chevrolet Silverado     3     5    5.84%   $21,370.44  $21,465.25  -0.44%
    Chevrolet Tahoe         4     9   12.59%   $29,332.47  $28,471.04   3.03%
    Honda     Civic         5     3  -48.88%   $16,254.01  $16,787.07  -3.18%
    Toyota    Tundra        6    16   23.80%   $22,677.50  $23,732.58  -4.45%
    Ford      F-150         7    10   -0.85%   $22,019.75  $21,846.33   0.79%
    Audi      A4            8     6  -13.87%   $24,584.50  $25,981.18  -5.38%
    Toyota    Tacoma        9     7  -19.69%   $20,656.76  $21,605.81  -4.39%
    Toyota    Camry        10     4  -43.85%   $18,335.14  $18,792.90  -2.44%
    Acura     TL           11    13   -9.06%   $24,314.63  $26,510.87  -8.28%
    Ford      Mustang      12    12  -21.22%   $18,927.16  $20,573.46  -8.00%
    Toyota    Highlander   13    17  -10.60%   $22,932.02  $22,895.84   0.16%
    Mercedes  E-Class      14    20   -4.44%   $35,058.35  $92,973.22 -62.29%
    Toyota    4Runner      15    26    4.24%   $23,256.64  $23,911.59  -2.74%
    Chevrolet Impala       16    11  -35.03%   $15,759.44  $16,805.07  -6.22%
    Chevrolet TrailBlazer  17    14  -30.17%   $17,871.18  $19,266.69  -7.24%
    Honda     Pilot        18    24  -13.93%   $21,652.09  $22,661.86  -4.46%
    Acura     MDX          19    32    3.62%   $26,824.71  $29,134.10  -7.93%
    Chevrolet Malibu       20    25  -13.65%   $14,745.98  $14,274.60   3.30%




    TOP BRANDS:     Rank    Rank
       MAKE         04/09   04/08

    Ford              1       2
    Chevrolet         2       3
    Toyota            3       1
    Dodge             4       5
    Nissan            5       6
    Honda             6       4
    BMW               7       9
    GMC               8      11
    Audi              9      16
    Jeep             10       7

SOURCE: AutoTrader.com

Web site: http://www.autotrader.com/