New-Car Transaction Prices Continue To Rise, Up More Than 2 Percent In June 2015, According To Kelley Blue Book

Ford Transaction Price Gains Driven by All-New F-150;

Volkswagen Group Only Automaker Experiencing Drop in June

IRVINE, Calif., July 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The analysts at Kelley Blue Book www.kbb.com, the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry, today report the estimated average transaction price (ATP) for light vehicles in the United States was $33,340 in June 2015.  New-car prices have increased by $821 (up 2.5 percent) from June 2014, while increasing $209 (up 0.6 percent) from last month.  

"Ford showed the strongest ATP gains last month, driven largely by its all-new F-150 and a transaction price 6.6 percent higher than the previous generation F-150 last year," said Karl Brauer, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book.  "The all-new Edge and Mustang, along with updated versions of the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator, also contributed to Ford's pricing gains.  The automaker may be struggling to grow volume and market share, but from a profitability standpoint Ford is doing quite well."

Nissan North America's transaction prices rose nearly as much as Ford in June, with a 4.5 percent gain across both the Nissan and Infiniti brands.  But unlike Ford, Nissan's gains are more balanced between the truck and car segments.  The all-new Murano crossover saw prices rise more than 10 percent from a year ago, while the compact Rogue's ATP was up 6.6 percent. On the car side, Nissan's Altima and Sentra grew transaction prices by 4.9 and 5.4 percent, respectively, even as they maintained strong sales in June.  

Volkswagen Group was the only automaker to see average transaction prices fall in June, with the high-volume Jetta and Passat down 5.8 percent and 1.1 percent, respectively.  The Audi and Porsche luxury brands' ATPs were up compared to last June, but they couldn't overcome the Volkswagen brand's drop, resulting in the automaker's average across all brands to fall 1.2 percent last month. 

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About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)
Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry.  Each week the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website KBB.com, including its famous Blue Book® Trade-In Values and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new and used cars this week.  The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies, and governmental agencies.  Kelley Blue Book's KBB.com ranked highest in its category for brand equity by the 2014 Harris Poll EquiTrend^® study and has been named Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year for four consecutive years.  Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. is a Cox Automotive company.

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SOURCE Kelley Blue Book

For further information: Chintan Talati, 949-267-4855, chintan.talati@kbb.com, OR Joanna Pinkham, 404-568-7135, joanna.pinkham@kbb.com, OR Brenna Robinson, 949-267-4781, brenna.robinson@kbb.com