Though it’s a bit early to tell how increasing off-lease volume impacted certified pre-owned sales in April, the gains have certainly pushed CPO sales in recent years and so far in 2016.

But keep this in mind, Kelley Blue Book’s Alec Gutierrez said during a teleconference with reporters on Tuesday: Extra off-lease supply can be a “doubled-edged sword” for the certified market.

Granted, additional off-lease supply helps dealers make sure they have enough CPO inventory for consumers, he said — particularly given the “growing desire” for certified as these shoppers become more aware of its benefits.

“But it’s a bit of a double-edged sword in the long-term, in that if you have increased leasing driving additional volume at auction … sure, you have a lot of additional CPO volume, but at the same time, if you have that negative impact to resale values, that limits the possible margin on those certified pre-owned sales,” said Gutierrez, senior analyst with KBB.

“It limits your ability to lease, as residuals potentially take a bit of a hit,” he said. “It’s good to have the inventory, but long term, it does put additional pressure on your new-car business.”

CPO sales in April

Industry-wide numbers had yet to arrive as of Tuesday afternoon, but below are some April sales results reported by indiividual automakers. 

Hyundai had its best April ever with 9,059 CPO sales, which was a 10-percent increase from April 2015.

BMW (11,276 CPO sales, up 7.8 percent) and MINI (1,094 sales, up 14.6 percent) also had their best Aprils ever, respectively.

Porsche sold 1,499 certified vehicles in April. This represented the automaker's second-strongest CPO month ever and a 24-percent year-over-year gain. 

Likewise, Kia had its second-best month of all time with 6,583 CPO sales (the best was March).

Mercedes-Benz posted 10,054 certified sales for a 7.3-percent hike, with year-to-date sales reaching 39,357 units (up 4.1 percent).

Volvo reported 1,386 certified sales in April, down 17.6 percent from the same month in 2015. Year-to-date, Volvo has sold 5,083 CPO vehicles, which is off 14.7 percent from last year’s pace.

Mazda sold 3,392 certified vehicles for the month, compared to 3,403 last April.

Year-to-date sales are at 12,527, down from 13,678 a year ago.

Audi sold 4,055 CPO vehicles for the month. 

Volkswagen had 6,041 certified sales for the month, down 19.2 percent from last April. Year-to-date sales are down 17 percent at 25,565 units sold.