Prior to 2018, sedans at auction had experienced three years of consecutive value declines. For sedan-heavy fleets, this may have meant an impact to total cost of ownership for those vehicles, as profits from remarketing them would have suffered. Now companies with sedan-heavy fleets may be finding that a window of opportunity to remarket those vehicles for better profit has emerged.
Vehicles from fleet consignors followed the broader used-vehicle market downward in September, as wholesale prices struggled to keep up with last year's hurricane-driven demand and a now robust upstream market, said Tom Kontos, KAR Auction Services' chief economist.
Six pickup trucks made the top-10 list of vehicles that retain the highest percentage of their value after a five-year ownership period, along with two Jeeps, a Subaru, and the Toyota 4Runner. At the other end of the spectrum, the Nissan Leaf saw the highest depreciation over the same period.
While luxury vehicles continue to struggle, overall vehicle values held steady last week, according to Black Book’s Oct. 8 Market Insights report.
Segments such as compact cars and mid-size cars are outperforming the overall market. Meanwhile, vans, utility vehicles, and pickups are under performing the overall market.
Edmunds is forecasting 1,392,434 new vehicles sales through September, representing a 5.4% decline from March and an 8.3% decline from the same time last year.
Used-vehicle auctions have started resuming regular business hours following the effects of Hurricane Florence, which had less of an impact on the U.S vehicle market than Hurricanes Harvey and Irma in 2017.
The average value of used fleet vehicles increased 1.5% in August from the prior month and are now up 8.5% from a year ago, according to Tom Kontos, KAR Auction Services' chief economist.
After the heavy rains brought by Florence to the Carolinas stopped, estimates about the number of vehicles that were destroyed by the storm began to roll in that made it clear the storm would have far less of an impact that the pair of storms that reached Texas and Florida a year ago.
Several North Carolina used vehicle auctions closed as a result of Hurricane Florence sweeping into the state, while others shifted to online sales or delayed on-site sales.
More SUVs, the retention of higher mileage vehicles, and new methods of remarketing are some trends fleets are observing in the wholesale market.
TradeRev started as a dealer-to-dealer mobile app, but has expanded its offerings to give more real-time auction access to commercial fleets and fleet management companies.
Used-vehicle values have held strong this year. A strong economy and more efficient remarketing strategies are helping make 2018 a banner year for used-vehicle values.
Used truck prices stayed relatively flat in July but remained at favorable levels compared with the same month a year ago, according ACT Research.
The Ram 3500 earned the best resale value award for the heavy-duty pickup segment. The Ram 3500 was also the overall winner for best resale value in 2018.
The Conference of Automotive Remarketing drew a professional crowd that networked for business and cultivated industry friendships.
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