Transaction Prices Up, Incentives Down, TrueCar Reports
The average transaction price for light vehicles in March jumped $1,977 from a year ago, while the average incentive was down 1.8 percent.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — TrueCar.com estimated today that the average transaction price for light vehicles in the United States was $30,748 in March, up $1,977, or 6.9 percent, from March 2011 and $143, 0.5 percent, from February 2012.
"The auto manufacturers have finally found their sweet spot, with the production of vehicles meeting the demand of consumers, keeping incentives to a minimum,” said Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry trends and insights for TrueCar.com. “This led to the highest transaction prices in the industry in March, along with record highs for Chrysler, GM, Hyundai/Kia, and Nissan.”
Transaction Pricing Forecast
Manufacturer | March 2012 Transact Price | February 2012 Transact Price | March 2011 Transact Price | YOY % Change | MOM % Change |
Chrysler (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat) | $29,842 | $29,458 | $28,052 | 6.4% | 1.3% |
Ford (Ford, Lincoln) | $31,758 | $31,644 | $30,524 | 4.0% | 0.4% |
GM (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC) | $33,289 | $33,086 | $32,200 | 3.4% | 0.6% |
Honda (Acura, Honda) | $26,249 | $26,141 | $24,876 | 5.5% | 0.4% |
Hyundai/Kia | $21,717 | $21,502 | $19,857 | 9.4% | 1.0% |
Nissan (Nissan, Infiniti) | $28,322 | $28,105 | $26,364 | 7.4% | 0.8% |
Toyota (Lexus, Scion, Toyota) | $27,396 | $27,012 | $26,214 | 4.5% | 1.4% |
Volkswagen (Audi, Volkswagen) | $33,124 | $33,159 | $31,378 | 5.6% | -0.1% |
Industry | $30,748 | $30,605 | $28,771 | 6.9% | 0.5% |
In addition, TrueCar.com estimated that the average incentive for light-vehicles was $2,440 in March 2012, down $43 (1.8 percent) from March 2011 and $36 (1.5 percent) from February 2012.
Average Incentives Forecast
Manufacturer | March 2012 Incentives | February 2012 Incentives | March 2011 Incentives | YOY % Change | MOM % Change |
Chrysler (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat) | $3,137 | $3,195 | $2,971 | 5.6% | -1.8% |
Ford (Ford, Lincoln) | $2,726 | $2,833 | $2,804 | -2.8% | -3.8% |
GM (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC) | $3,144 | $3,116 | $3,314 | -5.1% | 0.9% |
Honda (Acura, Honda) | $2,122 | $2,126 | $2,309 | -8.1% | -0.2% |
Hyundai/Kia | $882 | $841 | $1,270 | -30.6% | 4.8% |
Nissan (Nissan, Infiniti) | $3,115 | $3,233 | $2,433 | 28.0% | -3.7% |
Toyota (Lexus, Scion, Toyota) | $1,704 | $1,619 | $1,969 | -13.5% | 5.2% |
Volkswagen (Audi, Volkswagen) | $2,021 | $2,077 | $1,934 | 4.5% | -2.7% |
Industry | $2,440 | $2,476 | $2,483 | -1.8% | -1.5% |
TrueCar.com estimated that the ratio of incentives to average transaction price for light-vehicles was 7.9 percent in March 2012, down from 8.6 percent in March 2011 and down from 8.1 percent in February 2012.
Ratio of Incentives to Average Transaction Price
Manufacturer | March 2012 Incentives/ Avg. Transact Price | Feb 2012 Incentives/ Avg. Transact Price | March 2011 Incentives/ Avg. Transact Price | YOY Percent Change | MOM Percent Change |
Chrysler | 10.5% | 10.8% | 10.6% | -0.1% | -0.3% |
Ford | 8.6% | 9.0% | 9.2% | -0.6% | -0.4% |
GM | 9.4% | 9.4% | 10.3% | -0.8% | 0.0% |
Honda | 8.1% | 8.1% | 9.3% | -1.2% | 0.0% |
Hyundai/Kia | 4.1% | 3.9% | 6.4% | -2.3% | 0.1% |
Nissan | 11.0% | 11.5% | 9.2% | 1.8% | -0.5% |
Toyota | 6.2% | 6.0% | 7.5% | -1.3% | 0.2% |
Volkswagen | 6.1% | 6.3% | 6.2% | -0.1% | -0.2% |
Industry | 7.9% | 8.1% | 8.6% | -0.7% | -0.2% |
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