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September TrueTrends Report
- 2. Table of Contents
1 TrueCar’s Price Flex Score
The TrueCar Price Flex Score measures the elasticity of transaction price by model. The Price Flex Score calculation dynamically
incorporates the factors that affect price variance including the model’s transaction price range, current inventory and sales data. A
vehicle experiencing extremely low inventory and a small range of transcation prices will have a low Price Flex Score. Don’t expect
much of a discount from the TrueCar average transaction price on a vehicle with a low Price Flex Score. If a vehicle has a high Price
Flex Score, however, you have the potential to strike a deal significantly below (or above, if you’re not careful!) the TrueCar average
transaction price. Here are the 2010 models with the highest and lowest Price Flex Scores. We also show the models with the highest
and lowest Price Flex Score within each vehicle category.
3-5 Greatest Discounts
Featuring the highest discounts on 2010 and 2011 models. Large trucks offer the greatest discounts at an average below MSRP of
12%. Model year 2010 domestic makes including Chevrolet, Ford, and Chrysler offer the biggest discounts along with Hyundai and
Mercedes-Benz. The top 2011 makes with the biggest discounts are Toyota, Chevrolet, Honda, BMW, and Subaru.
5 Best and Worst Days to Buy a Car
Thursday, September 30th will be the day consumers can expect the best buys for the month, with a projected 8% discount from
MSRP. In addition, the first half of October will see discounts over 6%.
6 Largest Total Incentives for August
Luxury vehicles offer the greatest total incentives for August, which includes the BMW M6 with $12,500 in dealer cash.
7 Greatest Price Drop Month over Month
For each body type, TrueCar.com tracks the average transaction price for each trim and lists vehicles with the greatest drop in price
month over month. This months greatest drop in price falls under the luxury car category with a $1,921 price drop.
8-9 Shortest and Longest Days in Inventory
Vans, luxury sport cars, and large cars are where the best potential inventory-based discounts will be seen. On average, vans are
staying in inventory for 130 days, while luxury sport cars and large cars are on-lot for 68 days and 66 days respectively. Meanwhile,
Midsize SUVs continue to move off the lots quickly, with an average inventory stay of 34 days.
9 Model Year Share
Model year share shows the percentage of 2010 and 2011 model year vehicles sold within the last month. The makes with the highest
percentage of 2010 model year share are Lexus, Chrysler, and Mini. Model year 2010 vheicles make up 80.6% of vehicles available.
BMW has the highest share of 2011 models with 87%.
September 15th, 2010 - TrueTrends™ by TrueCar™ - © 2010 TrueCar, Inc. 1
- 3. Price Flex Score
Below are the highest and lowest Price Flex Scores for 2010 models. Scores range from 1 to 100. A score of 1 is the lowest Price Flex Score, which
indicates little or no negotiating power. A score of 100 is the highest Price Flex Score, meaning there is a big range of transaction prices for that model.
Least and Most Flexible 2010 Vehicles ( by Vehicle Category )
Vehicle Category Least Flexible Most Flexible
Large Car Chevrolet Impala (Score: 3) Toyota Avalon (Score: 97)
Large SUV Mazda CX-9 (Score: 17) Toyota Sequoia (Score: 75)
Large Truck Ford F-150 (Score: 19) Dodge Ram 3500 (Score: 91)
Luxury Car Lincoln Town Car (Score: 2) Cadillac CTS Wagon (Score: 99)
Luxury Sport Car Infiniti G37 Convertible (Score: 2) Lexus GS 460 (Score: 93)
Luxury SUV Audi Q5 (Score: 1) Porsche Cayenne (Score: 80)
Midsize Car Volkswagen Passat Wagon (Score: 4) Suzuki Kizashi (Score: 98)
Midsize SUV Ford Edge (Score: 6) Mitsubishi Endeavor (Score: 100)
Minivan Chrysler Town & Country (Score: 27) Volkswagen Routan (Score: 94)
Small Car Chevrolet HHR (Score: 14) Toyota Corolla (Score: 99)
Small SUV Hyundai Tucson (Score: 4) Mazda Tribute (Score: 94)
Small Truck Suzuki Equator (Score: 8) Chevrolet Colorado (Score: 91)
Sport Car Hyundai Genesis Coupe (Score: 18) Mitsubishi Eclipse (Score: 98)
Subcompact Car Honda Fit (Score: 21) Nissan cube (Score: 100)
Van Ford Econoline Wagon (Score: 36) GMC Savana Passenger (Score: 97)
Least Flexible 2010 Models Most Flexible 2010 Models
Score Make Model Score Make Model
1 Audi Q5 100 Mitsubishi Endeavor
1 Lincoln MKX 100 Nissan cube
2 Infiniti G37 Convertible 99 Cadillac CTS Wagon
3 Chevrolet Impala 99 Toyota Corolla
4 Hyundai Tucson 98 Hyundai Accent
4 Volkswagen Passat Wagon 98 Suzuki Kizashi
5 Lexus IS 250 97 GMC Savana Passenger
6 Ford Edge 96 Chrysler PT Cruiser Classic
6 Land Rover LR4 96 Kia Forte
8 Mercury Grand Marquis 94 Mazda Tribute
ONLY ONE MODEL PER MAKE WAS SELECTED FOR THE LEAST AND MOST FLEXIBLE MODELS.
September 15th, 2010 - TrueTrends™ by TrueCar™ - © 2010 TrueCar, Inc. 2
- 4. Greatest Discounts
The greatest percent below MSRP helps identify the biggest consumer discounts of the month. Below, TrueCar ranks 2010 and 2011 vehicles with
average transaction prices that comprise the greatest percent off the make or model’s average MSRP.
Makes with the Greatest Discount Trends on 2010 Vehicles
18% Chevrolet
Ford
Chrysler
16%
Hyundai
Mercedes-Benz
14%
DISCOUNTS ARE BASED ON A PERCENTAGE
BELOW MSRP (STICKER PRICE).
12%
10%
APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST
Top Discounts for 2010 Makes Top Discounts for 2011 Makes
Rank Make % Below MSRP Rank Make % Below MSRP
1 Chevrolet 16% 1 Toyota 10%
2 Ford 14% 2 Chevrolet 8%
3 Chrysler 12% 3 Honda 8%
4 Hyundai 11% 4 BMW 7%
5 Mercedes-Benz 10% 5 Subaru 5%
Top Discounts for 2010 Models Top Discounts for 2011 Models
Rank Make / Model % Below MSRP Rank Make / Model % Below MSRP
1 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 22% 1 Toyota Camry 11%
2 Ford Ranger 17% 2 Honda Pilot 8%
3 Hyundai Elantra 13% 3 Toyota Sienna 8%
4 Jeep Liberty 13% 4 BMW 3 Series 7%
5 Toyota Corolla 12% 5 Ford Mustang 6%
September 15th, 2010 - TrueTrends™ by TrueCar™ - © 2010 TrueCar, Inc. 3
- 5. Greatest Discounts ( Continued... )
The greatest percent below MSRP helps identify the biggest consumer discounts of the month. Below, TrueCar ranks 2010 and 2011 vehicles with
average transaction prices that comprise the greatest percent off the make or model’s average MSRP.
2010 Top Discounts ( by Vehicle Category ) 2011 Top Discounts ( by Vehicle Category )
Vehicle Category Model % Below MSRP Vehicle Category Model % Below MSRP
Large Truck Chevrolet Silverado 1500 22% Midsize Car Toyota Camry 11%
Midsize Car Chevrolet Malibu 19% Large Car Toyota Avalon 10%
Small Truck Ford Ranger 17% Large Truck Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD 10%
Small Car Ford Focus 16% Large SUV Chevrolet Traverse 9%
Large Car Chevrolet Impala 15% Luxury Sport Car BMW M3 9%
Large SUV Chevrolet Tahoe 14% Midsize SUV Honda Pilot 8%
Small SUV Jeep Liberty 13% Minivan Toyota Sienna 8%
Midsize SUV Ford Edge 13% Luxury SUV BMW X5 8%
Van Ford Transit Connect 12% Luxury Car BMW 3 Series 7%
Luxury Car Mercedes-Benz C-Class 11% Sport Car Ford Mustang 6%
Minivan Volkswagen Routan 9% Small Car Nissan Versa 3%
Subcompact Car Toyota Yaris 9% Subcompact Car Ford Fiesta 1%
Luxury SUV Lexus RX 350 8%
Luxury Sport Car Infiniti G37 Sedan 8%
Sport Car Dodge Challenger 7%
% OFF INDICATES THE AVERAGE DISCOUNT FROM MSRP.
September 15th, 2010 - TrueTrends™ by TrueCar™ - © 2010 TrueCar, Inc. 4
- 6. Greatest Discounts ( Continued... )
Top Discounts ( by Vehicle Category )
SPECIAL TEXT (IF ANY) HERE - Large trucks offer
Vehicle Category Average % Below MSRP
the greatest discounts at an average below MSRP of
Large Truck 12% 12%. Model year 2010 domestic makes including
Chevrolet, Ford, and Chrysler offer the biggest
Luxury Car 9% discounts along with Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz.
The top 2011 makes with the biggest discounts are
Large Car 8%
Toyota, Chevrolet, Honda, BMW, and Subaru.
Midsize Car 8%
Large SUV 7%
Small Car 7%
Van 7%
Minivan 7%
Small Truck 6%
Luxury Sport Car 6%
Luxury SUV 6%
Midsize SUV 6%
Sport Car 5%
Small SUV 4%
Subcompact Car 3%
Largest Total Incentives for August
This table shows the highest incentive for each brand ranked. Generally, incentives are active throughout the month in which TrueTrends by
TrueCar is released. Though active at the time of the reports’ release, incentives are subject to change without notice. Check for updates on the
TrueCar price report for each model and with your dealer.
Models with Largest Total Incentives
Rank Make / Model Customer Cash Rebate Dealer Cash
1 BMW M6 none $12,500
2 Cadillac STS none $7,000
3 Infiniti QX56 none $7,000
4 Audi A8 none $5,000
5 Chevrolet Impala none $5,000
September 15th, 2010 - TrueTrends™ by TrueCar™ - © 2010 TrueCar, Inc. 5
- 7. Best Day of the Month to Buy a Car
Best and Worst Days of the Month to Buy a Car ( Discount % Off MSRP )
SEPTEMBER OCTOBER 8.0%
7.5%
7.0%
6.5%
SEP 16 SEP 20 SEP 24 SEP 28 OCT 2 OCT 6 OCT 10 OCT 14
Consumer Tip of the Month Best Day to Buy - September 30th, 2010
Average Discount: 7.96%
Our projections for the best and worst day to buy a new vehicle are rooted
in an analysis of historical sales as well as short-term forecasts. Our
Worst Day to Buy - October 4th, 2010
projections over the next 31 days suggest that the best day to buy a car is
Average Discount: 6.18%
actually Thursday, September 30th. While the worst day to buy a car will
likely be Monday, October 4th.
September 15th, 2010 - TrueTrends™ by TrueCar™ - © 2010 TrueCar, Inc. 6
- 8. Greatest Price Drop Month Over Month
For each body type, TrueCar tracks the average transaction price for each trim and lists vehicles with the greatest drop in price month over month.
TrueCar also ranks the trims for unique makes with the overall greatest drop in price from August 6th, 2010 to September 9th,, 2010.
Top Vehicles ( by Vehicle Category )
Vehicle Category Year / Make / Model $ Drop From Last Month
Luxury Car 2010 Mercedes-Benz S-Class ($1,921)
Luxury SUV 2011 Infiniti QX56 ($1,163)
Large Car 2010 Buick LaCrosse ($422)
Small SUV 2010 Volkswagen Tiguan ($323)
Large SUV 2010 Chevrolet Suburban ($311)
Small Car 2010 Chevrolet HHR ($293)
Midsize SUV 2011 Nissan Rogue ($272)
Van 2010 Chevrolet Express Cargo Van ($249)
Large Truck 2010 Toyota Tundra 4WD Truck ($244)
Luxury Sport Car 2010 Infiniti G37 Sedan ($227)
Midsize Car 2010 Honda Accord Crosstour ($202)
Minivan 2010 Volkswagen Routan ($177)
Subcompact Car 2011 Mazda MAZDA2 ($172)
Sport Car 2010 Volkswagen Eos ($122)
Small Truck 2011 Toyota Tacoma ($57)
Top Vehicles ( Overall )
Rank Year / Make / Model $ Drop From Last Month
1 2010 Mercedes-Benz S-Class ($1,921)
2 2010 Mercedes-Benz C-Class ($1,406)
3 2011 Infiniti QX56 ($1,163)
4 2011 Land Rover Range Rover ($576)
5 2010 Lexus HS250h ($459)
September 15th, 2010 - TrueTrends™ by TrueCar™ - © 2010 TrueCar, Inc. 7
- 9. August’s Shortest and Longest Days in Inventory
Shortest to Longest Days in Inventory ( by Vehicle Category )
Rank Vehicle Catgegory Average Days in Inventory Shortest & Longest Days in Inventory
1 Midsize SUV 34 Days TrueCar ranks the vehicles that spend, on average,
the shortest and longest days on the lot before they
2 Large SUV 35 Days sell. We rank by both overall shortest / longest days
in inventory and by category. Vehicles that spend
3 Minivan 38 Days
little time in inventory are in high demand, while
4 Luxury SUV 39 Days vehicles that spend an extended time in inventory
are in low demand.
5 Small SUV 41 Days
6 Midsize Car 45 Days
Industry Wide Average Days in Inventory
7 Small Car 54 Days August, 2010 - 50 Days
8 Large Truck 54 Days
9 Luxury Car 55 Days
10 Subcompact Car 59 Days
11 Sport Car 64 Days
12 Small Truck 65 Days
13 Large Car 66 Days
14 Luxury Sport Car 68 Days
15 Van 130 Days
2010 Vehicles: Shortest Days in Inventory 2010 Vehicles: Longest Days in Inventory
Rank Model / Year Days in Inventory Rank Model / Year Days in Inventory
1 Chevrolet Equinox 15 Days 1 Toyota Camry 238 Days
2 GMC Terrain 16 Days 2 Hyundai Sonata 209 Days
3 Toyota 4Runner 18 Days 3 Ford Mustang 202 Days
4 Lexus LX 570 18 Days 4 Scion xD 196 Days
5 Toyota Highlander 19 Days 5 Ford F-250 169 Days
6 Nissan Pathfinder 20 Days 6 Porsche 911 155 Days
7 Toyota FJ Cruiser 21 Days 7 Lincoln MKT 155 Days
8 Honda Odyssey 21 Days 8 Mazda Tribute 152 Days
9 Toyota RAV4 22 Days 9 Subaru Legacy 148 Days
10 Honda CR-V 22 Days 10 Lexus HS 250h 142 Days
September 15th, 2010 - TrueTrends™ by TrueCar™ - © 2010 TrueCar, Inc. 8
- 10. August’s Shortest and Longest Days in Inventory ( Continued... )
2011 Vehicles: Shortest Days in Inventory 2011 Vehicles: Longest Days in Inventory
Rank Model / Year Days in Inventory Rank Model / Year Days in Inventory
1 Honda Accord 6 Days 1 Toyota Camry Hybrid 73 Days
2 Ford Escape Hybrid 6 Days 2 Volvo C70 69 Days
3 Ford Edge 6 Days 3 Mercedes-Benz SL550 61 Days
4 Toyota Tundra CrewMax 7 Days 4 Mitsubishi Eclipse 54 Days
5 Chevrolet Equinox 7 Days 5 Infiniti M37 43 Days
6 GMC Terrain 7 Days 6 Jaguar XF Premium 41 Days
7 Toyota Sequoia 8 Days 7 Kia Sorento 40 Days
8 Land Rover Range Rover Sport 8 Days 8 BMW 335D 38 Days
9 Honda CR-Z 9 Days 9 Scion xB 35 Days
10 Audi Q7 9 Days 10 Toyota Avalon 34 Days
Model Year Share
Model Year Share shows the percentage share of 2010 model year vehicles sold within the last month versus vehicles of any other model year sold.
Generally, the higher the model year share value, the higher the discount a consumer can expect to receive on that given model. It also reflects that
dealers are more likely to cut deals on a 2010 model in order to make room for a 2011. At this time of year, many brand’s model year mix are
predominantly comprised of 2010’s. The makes with the highest percentage of 2010 model year share are Lexus, Chrysler, and Mini.
Lowest Percentage of 2010 Vehicles Sold Percent Industry Share of Model Year Vehicles
Rank Make % of Sales .05%
1 BMW 12.3%
2 Jaguar 26.0% 2009 Vehicles
3 Porsche 31.8% 2010 Vehicles
18.9%
4 smart 48.7% 2011 Vehicles
5 Audi 51.1%
Highest Percentage of 2011 Vehicles Sold
80.6%
Rank Make % of Sales
1 BMW 87.0%
2 Jaguar 73.5%
2009 Vehicles make up less than 1% of all
3 Porsche 66.2% sales. Between 2010, and 2011 vehicles,
2010 shares 80.6% of total sales.
4 Audi 48.5%
5 Subaru 47.2%
September 15th, 2010 - TrueTrends™ by TrueCar™ - © 2010 TrueCar, Inc. 9
- 11. Appendix
About Us
TrueCar is the authority in new-car pricing. We show car marketplace pricing, helping them price cars for increased
buyers and car dealers how much people actually paid for a sales, and ultimately gaining market share over other
particular car in a specific local area. With TrueCar pricing, dealers. Our innovative new car pricing service is offered
both new car buyers and new car dealers can know at any free of charge on our website at www.truecar.com, on our
time what is considered a good or great price on a new car. mobile site at mobile.truecar.com, and via syndication of
Consumers no longer need to walk into a dealership our tools and pricing data to leading automotive research
partially informed and fully suspicious – using TrueCar they sites throughout the web.
walk in knowing the price of a fair deal. Dealers benefit by
TrueCar’s real-time, unbiased information about
Disclaimer
This report and the information contained herein is for your include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors.
noncommercial, personal use on an “as-is, as available” Neither TrueCar nor any of its parents, subsidiaries,
basis and may be used by you for informational purposes affiliates, or their respective partners, officers, directors,
only. TrueCar makes no representations or warranties, employees, or agents shall be held liable for any damages,
express or implied, with respect to the information whether direct, incidental, indirect, special, or consequen-
contained in this report and the results of the use of such tial, including without limitation lost revenues or lost profits,
information, including but not limited to implied warranty of arising from or in connection with your use or reliance on
merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non- the information presented in this report.
infringement. The information contained in this report may
Contact Us
TrueCar Inc.
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Santa Monica, CA 90401
(800) 200-2000
info@truecar.com
Visit us at www.truecar.com
September 15th, 2010 - TrueTrends™ by TrueCar™ - © 2010 TrueCar, Inc. 10