Black Book highlighted that its latest used-vehicle depreciation data, coupled with this year’s harsh winter, will push certain seasonal sales into April, possibly extending the tax seasons for dealers and finance companies that cater to subprime buyers.

Analysts reported this week that used vehicles from the model years 2008 through 2012 depreciated by 0.3 percent overall in March, showing what they believe is the continued strength in seasonal retention.

That March depreciation was lower compared to February’s rate, which was 1.1 percent.

Black Book indicated domestic cars gained in value by 0.7 percent while import cars depreciated by 0.6 percent last month. The firm noted domestic trucks gained in value by 0.6 percent while import trucks depreciated by 0.8 percent.

Analysts reiterated that average pre-recession depreciation is historically between 1 percent and 2 percent monthly, and Black Book expects overall 2014 depreciation to come in at 13.5 percent.

“March is typically among the strongest months for vehicle value retention due to the tax-buying season, and overall monthly depreciation during the same period last year showed just 0.2 percent across all vehicle segments,” Black Book editorial director Ricky Beggs said.

Drilling down deeper into the March data, Black Book determined entry-level cars led all segments with the strongest monthly retention, gaining 2.6 percent of value, and cargo minivans led all truck segments by gaining 1.7 percent of value during March.

Reflecting tax-season demand, analysts mentioned entry-level cars finished March with an average wholesale value of $7,491, representing a 15.9-percent drop-off from the year-ago level of $8,912. Vehicles in this segment include the Chevrolet Aveo, Honda Fit, Kia Rio, Nissan Versa and Toyota Yaris.

Black Book said prestige luxury cars led all segments with the highest monthly depreciation during March at 2.1 percent. Vehicles in this segment include the BMW 7-Series, Audi A8, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Lexus GS Class, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Jaguar XJ.

Meanwhile, luxury SUVs led all truck segments with the highest monthly depreciation, softening by 1.3 percent in March. Vehicles in this segment include the Cadillac Escalade, Toyota Land Cruiser, Land Rover LR3 and LR4, Lincoln Navigator and BMW X5.

To illustrate the strong retention experienced in March, analysts highlighted just three of the 24 overall segments depreciated higher than 1.0 percent during the month. That group included:

—Prestige luxury cars: 2.1 percent
—Luxury SUVs: 1.3 percent
—Luxury-level cars: 1.1 percent.

Beggs pointed out the remaining 21 segments saw depreciation of 0.8 percent or less in March.

“The buying season has kicked into high gear, particularly for those segments that average near $10,000 that are in high demand,” Beggs said. “Smaller car segments will continue to see near-term strength until late spring, when demand for these vehicles lightens and follows familiar seasonal patterns.”

Here is the complete breakdown of Black Book recorded March value changes of used vehicles from the 2008 through 2012 model years: