ATLANTA, Feb. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Revamped versions of several popular cars got boosts in new-car searches on AutoTrader.com in January 2010 compared to their rankings in January 2009, likely as a result of high-profile exposure at recent auto shows and resulting publicity in the automotive and consumer media.  The biggest jumper: the revamped Mazda 3, which zoom-zoomed from No. 74 on the list of most-searched new cars in January 2009 to No. 14 in January 2010 after being shown off at the Los Angeles International Auto Show in December.

New versions of the Hyundai Sonata, the Ford Focus and Fusion, and the Chevy Cobalt all also made major jumps following unveils and exposure at either the LA show or at the North American International Auto Show held in Detroit in January.

"The steep jump in searches on AutoTrader.com that cars experience following auto show unveilings and exposure proves the value these shows offer in generating publicity about these new cars and creating interest in them among the car buying public," said AutoTrader.com President and CEO Chip Perry.  

Price Is the Story In Used Cars

The continued rise in used car prices was the big news in January on AutoTrader.com.  Of the top 20 used cars searched on AutoTrader.com in January, 12 saw double digit percent increases in their average prices compared to January 2009.  In all, 18 of the top 20 most-searched used cars on AutoTrader.com saw increases in their average prices in January 2010 compared to January 2009.

The biggest average price increases in January 2010 were on favorites like the used Chevy Tahoe (up 22% compared to January 2009), the used Ford F-150 (up 21% compared to January 2009), the used Chevy Silverado and Dodge Ram (both up about 20%) and the used Jeep Wrangler (up 18%).

"In the used car market we're continuing to see the impact of the reviving market and the tight supply of many used cars," said Perry.  "We see signs of resurgence in the new car market, which will help increase the supply of used cars, but demand for used cars is also returning, eating up the supply that is out there and pushing up prices.  As a result, used car buyers may continue to be surprised by higher than expected prices when they visit dealer lots."

In some cases, as manufacturers and dealers look to jump start new car sales, shoppers may find prices, financing terms or other specials that make a new car cheaper than a similar late-model used car.

"This is the time when doing research on-line and cross shopping between new and used cars can really benefit car buyers and help them make car buying decisions that best fit their needs and their budgets," said Perry.

Toyota Stays Strong on AutoTrader.com

Across the board, Toyota's recent recall challenges did not impact car shoppers' searches for Toyota vehicles in January when compared to activity on AutoTrader.com in December of 2009 or the previous January.

Compared to December 2009, most new and used Toyota models on AutoTrader.com maintained their rankings or moved down only one spot.  The used Toyota Camry actually saw an increase in searches on AutoTrader.com in January 2010 compared to December 2009, moving the car up from No. 23 in December 2009 to No. 19 in January.

AutoTrader.com's research team has been following activity on Toyota vehicles daily to assess potential impact on car shoppers' interest in Toyota vehicles and so far the news is good for Toyota.

"Through the beginning of February, we've continued to see stability in the supply of Toyota vehicles posted to our site and traffic to those vehicles," said Perry.  "Dealers are continuing to advertise new and used Toyota vehicles for sale on our site in normal numbers, we have not seen a jump in private sellers listing Toyotas for sale – meaning people who own them are holding on to them – and visitors to AutoTrader.com continue to review Toyota vehicles as they did before this news broke in late January.  We will continue to follow this as it develops and Toyota works to alleviate the problems."

Record January Traffic

AutoTrader.com scored another record traffic month, hitting 15.98 million unique monthly visitors, the highest January traffic in the company's history.

"AutoTrader.com continues to benefit from the movement of new and used car shoppers on-line and the unique environment we've created that allows shoppers to compare cars across multiple categories – new, used, body styles, dealer specials and more," said Perry.  "We'll work in 2010 to continue to earn that traffic with exciting new on-line shopping products and functionality that brings car shoppers back over and over and helps the dealers and private sellers listing vehicles for sale on our site sell those cars faster."

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 millions of 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.

    
    
    
    
                           VDP   VDP   VDP
                    NEW   Rank  Rank  Rank  Avg Price   Avg Price  Change from
    NEW MAKE       MODEL  1/10 12/09  1/09      -1/10       -1/09         1/09
    --------        ---   ----  ----- ----   ---------   --------- -----------
    Ford       F-150         1     1     1 $35,763.12  $32,549.34       9.87%
    Chevy      Silverado
                1500         2     4     2 $34,293.33  $31,612.56       8.48%
    Honda      Accord        3     2     5 $25,879.63  $25,933.89      -0.21%
    Toyota     Camry         4     3    14 $24,343.04  $24,226.01       0.48%
    Honda      Civic         5     6     8 $19,950.47  $20,843.46      -4.28%
    Toyota     Corolla       6     5    30 $18,214.34  $18,750.17      -2.86%
    Dodge      RAM1500       7     7     6 $33,794.70  $33,752.11       0.13%
    Nissan     Altima        8     9    12 $24,739.43  $24,618.71       0.49%
    Chevy      Malibu        9    10    22 $24,472.85  $24,469.77       0.01%
    Ford       Focus        10    13    51 $18,527.47  $18,036.00       2.72%
    Jeep       Wrangler     11    15    10 $28,872.56  $27,468.21       5.11%
    Toyota     Tacoma       12    12    19 $26,294.23  $25,210.87       4.30%
    Ford       Fusion       13    16    45 $25,619.41  $22,691.21      12.90%
    Mazda      Mazda3       14    19    74 $20,292.07  $18,879.54       7.48%
    Ford       F-250        15    11    15 $44,857.99  $42,634.65       5.21%
    Chevy      Cobalt       16    29    35 $17,872.42  $17,613.86       1.47%
    Hyundai    Sonata       17    24    52 $21,196.04  $21,812.43      -2.83%
    Chevy      Camaro       18    14   N/A $33,822.58         N/A     #DIV/0!
    Ford       Mustang      19    17     7 $32,412.23  $32,198.01       0.67%
    Volkswagen Jetta        20    18    28 $23,005.53  $22,527.65       2.12%
    ---------- -----       ---   ---   --- ----------  ----------       ----
                          
                           VDP   VDP   VDP
      USED          USED  Rank  Rank  Rank  Avg Price   Avg Price  Change from
      MAKE         MODEL  1/10 12/09  1/09      -1/10       -1/09         1/09
    --------       -----  ---- -----  ----  ---------   ---------  -----------
    Ford       F-150         1     1     1 $19,246.06  $15,853.45      21.40%
    Chevy      Silverado
                1500         2     3     3 $18,774.74  $15,563.00      20.64%
    BMW        3 Series      3     2     2 $25,618.66  $26,463.99      -3.19%
    Ford       Mustang       4     4     4 $16,685.10  $15,820.12       5.47%
    Ford       F-250         5     5    10 $23,054.49  $19,796.72      16.46%
    Honda      Accord        6     7     6 $15,561.01  $15,125.56       2.88%
    Dodge      Ram 1500      7     6     5 $17,430.86  $14,452.98      20.60%
    Chevy      Tahoe         8     8     9 $23,929.57  $19,606.80      22.05%
    Honda      Civic         9    11     8 $13,408.64  $13,686.38      -2.03%
    Chevy      Silverado
                2500        10     9    19 $22,758.65  $19,309.25      17.86%
    Jeep       Wrangler     11    10    13 $19,115.66  $16,149.49      18.37%
    Nissan     Altima       12    17    15 $14,095.32  $13,841.24       1.84%
    Dodge      Ram 2500     13    12    20 $24,073.66  $20,452.79      17.70%
    Infinity   G35/37       14    13     7 $22,052.80  $20,149.26       9.45%
    Toyota     Tacoma       15    14    16 $19,044.88  $17,138.61      11.12%
    BMW        5 Series     16    15    14 $30,019.34  $29,444.39       1.95%
    Ford       Explorer     17    18    12 $15,329.38  $13,629.86      12.47%
    Jeep       Grand
                Cherokee    18    16    11 $16,128.20  $14,080.76      14.54%
    Toyota     Camry        19    23    21 $15,758.37  $15,780.34      -0.14%
    Toyota     Tundra       20    19    26 $21,830.18  $18,512.55      17.92%
    ------     ------      ---   ---   --- ----------  ----------      -----
    
    
    
                           VDP   VDP   VDP
        CPO       CPO     Rank  Rank  Rank   Avg Price  Avg Price  Change from
        MAKE     MODEL    1/10 12/09  1/09       -1/10      -1/09         1/09
        ----     -----    ----  ----- ----   ---------  ---------  -----------
    BMW        3 Series      1     1     1 $31,684.40  $31,577.02        0.34%
    Honda      Accord        2     3     3 $18,249.73  $17,597.15        3.71%
                Silverado
    Chevy       1500         3     2     2 $23,172.27  $19,094.24       21.36%
    Chevy      Tahoe         4     4     5 $31,198.22  $26,731.20       16.71%
    Ford       F-150         5     5     4 $23,569.10  $20,336.80       15.89%
    BMW        5 Series      6     6     6 $37,335.98  $35,561.12        4.99%
    Toyota     Tundra        7     7     8 $24,775.10  $20,978.78       18.10%
    Toyota     Camry         8     8    11 $18,223.23  $18,291.62       -0.37%
    Honda      Civic         9    10     7 $16,276.75  $16,408.33       -0.80%
    Toyota     Tacoma       10     9    10 $22,002.24  $20,112.78        9.39%
    Audi       A4           11    11     9 $26,453.99  $24,870.91        6.37%
    Acura      TL           12    12    18 $26,977.34  $24,369.39       10.70%
    Ford       Mustang      13    18    15 $19,756.31  $17,955.35       10.03%
    Mercedes-
     Benz      E Class      14    13    12 $38,010.36  $33,439.36       13.67%
    Toyota     Highlander   15    14    22 $24,064.97  $21,715.52       10.82%
    Honda      Pilot        16    22    32 $24,387.16  $20,356.32       19.80%
    Toyota     4 Runner     17    16    27 $24,241.79  $21,499.64       12.75%
    Chevy      Impala       18    25    13 $16,129.93  $15,180.57        6.25%
    Mercedes-
     Benz      C Class      19    19    19 $29,667.12  $25,840.44       14.81%
    GMC        Sierra 1500  20    15    30 $24,183.52  $19,481.03       24.14%
    ---        ----------- ---   ---   --- ----------  ----------       -----
    
    
    
    TOP 10
    NEW
    BRANDS       Rank    Rank
    VIEWED       1/10    1/09
    ------       ----    ----
    FORD           1       2
    CHEVY          2       1
    TOYOTA         3       3
    HONDA          4       4
    NISSAN         5       6
    DODGE          6       5
    BMW            7       9
    GMC            8       7
    HYUNDAI        9      11
    MB            10      10
    
    

SOURCE AutoTrader.com