TORONTO, Feb. 15, 2012 /CNW/ - When it comes to making cars that command a consistently higher trade-in value after four years the Japanese continue to dominate, Europeans stay the course and North American manufacturers steadily improve, Canada's leading source of automotive values says.
The 2012 "Best Retained Value Awards" released today by Canadian Black Book (CBB) show Japanese cars and trucks are holding their value very well in all popular vehicle segments in Canada.
Canadian Black Book, this country's go-to provider of present and future vehicle values distributed in various formats to dealers, insurance companies and financial institutions and also to consumers on its web site www.canadianblackbook.com, selects vehicles in 17 different categories annually that retain the highest percentage of their original MSRP over the past four years.
Toyota, Lexus, Subaru and Honda combined to win 11 first-place 2012 Canadian Black Book Retained Value Awards, while European automakers took home four, and of the domestic manufacturers, Chrysler took home three. There was one tie.
"While most other industry accolades tend to generate headlines by focussing on the here-and-now of new vehicle models, our annual retained value awards provide consumers with excellent insight as to where they will most likely receive the best value for their money, over time," says Kathy Ward, CEO of Canadian Black Book.
CBB advocates that consumers contemplate what a vehicle is going to be worth in the future before making any new or used vehicle purchase decision.
"When deciding on a new car or truck, consumers often search for a model offering the best loan rate or the richest incentives that lower the sticker price," Ward adds. "But not taking vehicle depreciation into consideration, the single greatest cost of vehicle ownership, can lead to a costly surprise at trade-in time."
This year's results again put Toyota and Lexus the far-and-away leaders for retained value. Toyota earned five first, four second and one third-place finish. Lexus took two firsts and one second. Of special note, in three categories, Toyota, Honda and Dodge each have claimed the winner's podium for three years straight while the Subaru Outback has either won or tied for first in the Mid-sized Car category for three years running.
Dodge was also a first-time category winner in Sports Car with the new Dodge Challenger first reappearing in 2008. Jeep Wrangler was a repeat winner in Compact SUV.
North Americans overall recorded 10 second- and third-place finishes: Ford and Lincoln had four, General Motors had four and Chrysler had two.
Vehicles that show the greatest consistency in value retention are often at odds with what prospective car buyers might think.
"It's interesting that while new vehicle sales figures may show Toyota lagging behind North American models, the retained value awards tell another story," says Dennis DesRosiers, a leading automotive analyst. "The Toyota Tundra and Tacoma models, for example, have won Best Retained Value in the Full-size Pick-up and Small Pick-up categories for three consecutive years although we typically think of North America as the top builder of trucks."
"What catches a shopper's eye on the Auto Show pedestal, or a journalist's fancy on the test track, might not translate into a vehicle holding its value over the long haul," says Larry Shred, President of Canadian Black Book.
"Canadian Black Book has been the top source for unbiased, Canadian vehicle values trusted by the automotive industry for more than 50 years," he adds.
Canadian Black Book is a co-presenter of the Canadian International Auto Show's media preview day on February 16 as well as sole sponsor of the Media Reception that afternoon.
First, second and third-place winners in all 17 Retained Value Award categories can be found at www.canadianblackbook.com.
| Category | 2012 Award Winner |
| Sub-compact | Honda Fit |
| Compact Car | Volkswagen Golf |
| Mid-size Car | Honda Accord (Tie) Subaru Outback (Tie) |
| Full-size Car | Toyota Avalon |
| Entry Luxury Car | BMW 1 Series |
| Luxury Car | Lexus GS Series |
| Premium Luxury Car | Lexus LS Series |
| Premium Sports Car | Audi R8 |
| Sports Car | Dodge Challenger |
| Small Pickup | Toyota Tacoma |
| Full-size Pickup | Toyota Tundra |
| Minivan | Honda Odyssey |
| Full-size Van | Dodge Sprinter |
| Compact SUV | Jeep Wrangler |
| Mid-size SUV | Toyota FJ Cruiser |
| Full-size SUV | Toyota Sequoia |
| Luxury SUV | BMW X6 |
BACKGROUNDER
2012 Best Retained Value Awards and 'Future Value' Calculator
February, 2012
About Canadian Black Book
For more than 50 years, Canadian Black Book has been the trusted and unbiased Canadian automotive industry source for vehicle values. The company's reports are considered 'The Authority' for vehicle values not only by car dealers, but also for the lending, leasing, financing and insurance sectors.
Consumers can also benefit from the same expert insight. In 2010 Canadian Black Book introduced a web site for consumers with a free look-up tool to find out a vehicle's Trade-in Value, Future Value and the Average Asking Price. Canadianblackbook.com is a distinctly Canadian resource for car buyers and sellers. It provides values for every popular make and model of car and truck from 2012 to 1999. The data is drawn from a variety of transactional sources providing the public with the most accurate values available.
Canadian Black Book Future Value Calculator
Looking up current values is the norm when people are thinking about buying or selling a vehicle. Yet, understanding a vehicle's future value is not widely known or practiced despite being essential since depreciation is the single greatest cost of vehicle ownership.
The public can access Black Book information and insights, including the Future Value calculator, at www.canadianblackbook.com all at no cost.
The Canadian Black Book Future Value calculator allows consumers to look up any Canadian car or truck four years of age or less to see its expected long-term value. Checking a vehicle's future value is easy and takes only seconds using this handy look-up tool. Simply enter the year, make and model and other basic vehicle information and the calculator reveals the expected future value of the vehicle.
Canadianblackbook.com encourages the public to get familiar with this valuable resource, and to factor Future Values into their research before making a final purchase decision.
Canadian Black Book Best Retained Value Awards
The Canadian Black Book Best Retained Value Awards acknowledges vehicles that retain the highest percentage of their original MSRP after four years. For 2012, this distinctive award looks at model year 2008 cars and trucks from 17 different categories.
2012 Winners
| MODEL | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| Sub-compact Car | Honda Fit | Toyota Yaris | Pontiac Wave |
| Compact Car | Volkswagen Golf | Mitsubishi Lancer | Subaru Impreza |
| Mid-size Car | Honda Accord / Subaru Outback (TIE) |
Subaru Legacy | |
| Full-size Car | Toyota Avalon | Nissan Maxima | Dodge Charger |
| Entry Luxury Car | BMW 1 Series | Lexus IS Series | Audi A3 |
| Luxury Car | Lexus GS Series | BMW 5 Series | Acura RL |
| Premium Luxury Car | Lexus LS Series | Audi A8/S8 | BMW 6 Series |
| Premium Sports Car | Audi R8 | Porsche Boxster | Porsche 911 |
| Sports Car | Dodge Challenger | Audi A5/S5 | Mini Cooper |
| Small Pickup | Toyota Tacoma | Ford Explorer Sport Trac | Mazda B Series |
| Full-size Pickup | Toyota Tundra | Ford F Series | Lincoln Mark LT |
| Minivan | Honda Odyssey | Toyota Sienna | Chrysler Town & Country |
| Full-size Van | Dodge Sprinter | GMC Savana | Chevrolet Express |
| Compact SUV | Jeep Wrangler | Toyota RAV4 | Honda CR-V |
| Mid-size SUV | Toyota FJ Cruiser | Toyota Highlander | Toyota 4Runner |
| Full-size SUV | Toyota Sequoia | Ford Expedition | GMC Yukon XL |
| Luxury SUV | BMW X6 | Lexus LX570 | Mercedes-Benz G-Class |
For questions, interviews or photos, contact our media team:
Conrad Galambos, 905.979.7039, [email protected]
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