TrueCar: Transaction Prices Rise in November

November transaction prices, which rose to their highest level in almost a year, show that budget-minded consumers aren’t skimping on modern conveniences.

by Staff

December 4, 2012

3 min to read

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — TrueCar estimated this week that the average transaction price for light vehicles in the United States rose to $30,832 in November, up $335 (1.1 percent) from the same month last year and up $346 (1.1 percent) from October.

“Industry average transaction prices climb once again with consumers' continued appetite for highly contended vehicles," said Jesse Toprak, senior analyst for the vehicle information site. "Today's consumers value a nicely equipped vehicle as much as they do a low cost of ownership. Automakers are getting better at providing all the modern conveniences consumers come to expect for more of their models, resulting in higher overall prices hence improved profitability.”

Manufacturer	November 2012 Transaction Price	October 2012 Transaction Price	November 2011 Transaction Price	Percent Change November 2011 to November 2012	Percent Change October 2012 to November 2012
Chrysler (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat)	$29,796	$29,541	$29,071	2.5%	0.9%
Ford (Ford, Lincoln)	$32,543	$32,141	$31,498	3.3%	1.3%
GM (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC)	$32,891	$32,547	$33,027	-0.4%	1.1%
Honda (Acura, Honda)	$26,897	$27,011	$26,529	1.4%	-0.4%
Hyundai/Kia	$22,342	$22,410	$21,265	5.1%	-0.3%
Nissan (Nissan, Infiniti)	$27,704	$27,652	$27,770	-0.2%	0.2%
Toyota (Lexus, Scion, Toyota)	$28,396	$27,910	$27,442	3.5%	1.7%
Volkswagen (Audi, Volkswagen)	$33,610	$33,408	$33,004	1.8%	0.6%
Industry	$30,832	$30,486	$30,497	1.1%	1.1%

In addition, TrueCar estimated that the average incentive for light vehicles was $2,764 in November, up $117 (4.4 percent) from November 2011 and up $447 (19.3 percent) from October.

Manufacturer	November 2012 Incentives	October 2012 Incentives	November 2011 Incentives	Percent Change November 2011 to November 2012	Percent Change October 2012 to November 2012
Chrysler (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat)	$2,526	$3,062	$3,237	-22.0%	-17.5%
Ford (Ford, Lincoln)	$2,307	$2,522	$2,923	-21.1%	-8.5%
GM (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC)	$3,720	$2,915	$3,100	20.0%	27.6%
Honda (Acura, Honda)	$2,428	$1,882	$2,333	4.1%	29.0%
Hyundai/Kia	$1,586	$1,375	$1,227	29.2%	15.3%
Nissan (Nissan, Infiniti)	$4,273	$2,375	$2,949	44.9%	79.9%
Toyota (Lexus, Scion, Toyota)	$2,075	$1,622	$1,899	9.2%	27.9%
Volkswagen (Audi, Volkswagen)	$2,259	$2,264	$2,504	-9.8%	-0.2%
Industry	$2,764	$2,317	$2,647	4.4%	19.3%

TrueCar estimated that the ratio of incentives to average transaction price for light vehicles was 9 percent in November, up from 8.7 percent a year ago and up from 7.6 percent in October of this year.

Manufacturer	November 2012 Incentives/Avg. Transaction Price	October 2012 Incentives/Avg. Transaction Price	November 2011 Incentives/ Avg. Transaction Price	Percent Change November 2011 to November 2012	Percent Change October 2012 to November 2012
Chrysler (Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat)	8.5%	10.4%	11.1%	-2.7%	-1.9%
Ford (Ford, Lincoln)	7.1%	7.8%	9.3%	-2.2%	-0.8%
GM (Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC)	11.3%	9.0%	9.4%	1.9%	2.4%
Honda (Acura, Honda)	9.0%	7.0%	8.8%	0.2%	2.1%
Hyundai/Kia	7.1%	6.1%	5.8%	1.3%	1.0%
Nissan (Nissan, Infiniti)	15.4%	8.6%	10.6%	4.8%	6.8%
Toyota (Lexus, Scion, Toyota)	7.3%	5.8%	6.9%	0.4%	1.5%
Volkswagen (Audi, Volkswagen)	6.7%	6.8%	7.6%	-0.9%	-0.1%
Industry	9.0%	7.6%	8.7%	0.3%	1.4%