McLEAN, Va. -

As fall gets underway, wholesale prices seem to be following seasonal trends, perhaps good news for dealers. NADA Used Car Guide said it expects wholesale price movement to decline this week, falling by 0.3 percent, or $50.

And most all segments are expected to drop, except for large pickups and luxury cars, which are both expected to remain flat versus their two-week averages, NADA UCG reported.

“In general, overall declines across all segments are expected to once again be very mild again this week,” said David Paris, automotive analyst for NADA UCG.

Coming in with the highest price drop this week is predicted to be the compact car segments. Prices for these fuel-efficient vehicles are expected to slip by 0.5 percent, or $50.

This is similar to trends see last week, outlined by Black Book’s Ricky Beggs.

The last week of summer brought significant price declines for both cars and trucks at auction, perhaps a sign of what’s to come in the new season, Beggs noted.

With gas prices continuing to drop, now sitting at a national average of $3.50, according to Energy Information Administration data, the highest declines last week were seen in the entry-level car segment, he said. This vehicle category saw a drop in prices of 1.15 percent last week, according to Beggs.

He also reported in his latest “Beggs on the Used Car Market” video report that the full-size cars followed right behind with a price drop of 1.11 percent.

Looking forward to highlight this week’s predictions, the next biggest price drops are expected to be seen in the compact utilities and mid-size cars, which should each fall by 0.4 percent or $50 apiece, according to NADA UCG.

Large SUVs and luxury utilities are both expected to slip by 0.3 percent, followed by midsize vans with a  0.2-percent ($25) decline, NADA UCG shared.

Four- and two-week AuctionNet wholesale average prices are created by collecting all AuctionNet records for vehicles  up to five years of age for a specified period of time.  Prices are then adjusted for changes in mileage and mix.

Current week prices are based on NADA's proprietary used-vehicle value model which includes assumptions for new-vehicle prices, used-vehicle supply, gasoline prices, and other economic factors.

NADA Segment Average AuctionNet® Wholesale Price 2-Week v. Current
4-Week Average 2-Week Average Current Week % Change $ Change
Compact Car $10,225 $10,075 $10,025 -0.5% ($50)
Compact Utility $14,000 $13,900 $13,850 -0.4% ($50)
Industry $14,925 $14,850 $14,800 -0.3% ($50)
Large Pickup $20,475 $20,400 $20,400 0.0% $0
Large SUV $24,525 $24,400 $24,325 -0.3% ($75)
Luxury Car $22,700 $22,625 $22,625 0.0% $0
Luxury Utility $25,450 $25,300 $25,225 -0.3% ($75)
Mid-Size Car $11,900 $11,825 $11,775 -0.4% ($50)
Mid-Size Utility $17,025 $17,000 $16,950 -0.3% ($50)
Mid-Size Van $13,825 $13,825 $13,800 -0.2% ($25)

Sarah Rubenoff can be reached at srubenoff@autoremarketing.com. Continue the conversation with Auto Remarketing on both LinkedIn and Twitter.