SANTA MONICA, Calif. -

Here’s more proof of how red hot the certified pre-owned market is: Edmunds.com indicated 21 percent of all used-vehicle sales by franchised dealers during the first quarter involved a CPO model — the highest rate ever.

All told, Edmunds.com analysts found CPO sales so far this year are 6.2 percent higher than the same span a year ago, totaling 483,109 units.

“Car manufacturers love certified pre-owned programs because they attract new customers, strengthen loyalty and help to move off-lease inventory,” Edmunds.com director of used car analysis Joe Spina said.

“We can expect even higher levels of CPO sales later this year as dealers absorb a growing influx of lease returns,” Spina went on to say in Edmunds.com’s first quarterly Used Car Market Report.

Other highlights from the first-quarter report included:

—There were 9.7 million used-vehicle sales in the U.S. in the first quarter, down 6.2 percent from the first quarter of 2012.

—Used-vehicle retail prices at franchise dealerships ($15,793, on average) remained relatively flat, inching up just 0.5 percent year-over-year.

—Subaru vehicles sold faster at franchise dealerships than any other used-vehicle brand in the first quarter. Analysts found that Volvo’s used sales were the slowest.

—Edmunds.com expects a typical seasonal price pattern for used vehicles this year: an increase in the spring, stability through early summer months and then a decrease thereafter.

As the year rolls along, anticipation will build for the CPO Forum, a part of Used Car Week that includes the Subprime Forum, Re3: Repossession, Recovery, Remarketing and the National Remarketing Conference. The CPO Forum gathers together dealers, automakers and industry analysts to discuss strategy and trends within the certified market.

More details about all of this year’s events can be found at www.usedcarweek.biz.

Editor’s Note: Thursday’s edition of Auto Remarketing Today will include Edmunds.com’s analysis of the top-selling used models by vehicle segment during Q1 as well as the most-researched used units on the site.

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