IRVINE, Calif. -

Luxury models piqued the interest of used-vehicle shoppers at Kbb.com in August as Kelley Blue Book determined that half of the top 10 units generating the greatest spike in activity growth came from that segment.

While the 2009 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 paced activity growth with a whopping 180.3-percent month-over-month increase, three of the next four models listed were luxury-brand units.

The top 10 models producing the most shopping activity growth in August included:

—2009 Chevrolet Suburban 2500: up 180.3 percent
—2007 BMW Z4 M: up 126.0 percent
—2010 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class: up 38.6 percent
—2006 Suzuki Forenza: up 34.1 percent
—2010 Cadillac CTS: 27.6 percent
—2010 Volkswagen CC: up 27.4 percent
—2010 BMW 5 Series: up 25.7 percent
—2006 Audi A4: up 18.4 percent
—2010 Toyota Prius: up 10.3 percent
—2010 Toyota Camry: up 8.5 percent

Meanwhile, KBB analysts also determined which used models sustained the biggest drops in shopping activity for the month.The largest month-over-month decreases were associated with:

—2009 Ford F-150: down 10.5 percent
—2007 Honda Odyssey: down 13.2 percent
—2006 Honda Odyssey: down 14.0 percent
—2007 Ford Mustang: down 14.3 percent
—2009 Honda Pilot: down 17.6 percent
—2009 BMW 5 Series: down 20.9 percent
—2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse: down 21.4 percent
—2008 Pontiac Torrent: down 31.1 percent
—2008 Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class: down 43.6 percent
—2009 GMC Canyon: down 46.2 percent

How Headlines Swayed Shopper Behavior

Kelley Blue Book indicated there were a couple national media topics that impacted used-vehicle traffic most on its site.
One topic was Hurricane Isaac, which caused turmoil in the South due to heavy rain.

“The storm then halted southern oil production leading to higher fuel prices at the pump,” explained Arthur Henry, manager of market intelligence and market analyst at Kelley Blue Book

“As a result research was directed more toward hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles on Kbb.com,” Henry continued. “The primary beneficiary of this heightened interest was the 2010 Toyota Prius, which increased its share of used-retail traffic 10.3 percent from the past month.

Also causing traffic shifts on Kbb.com was a General Motors recall. In early August, GM recalled vehicles between the model years 2007 and 2009 over a washer fluid problem that when heated, posed a potential fire risk.

“There were several sport utility vehicles on the list in the recall, but only the 2009 Chevrolet Suburban made the top 10 list of top movers, increasing 180.3 percent month-over-month,” Henry noted.

“Both news stories are short lived and will not have a long lasting effect on the used-car market,” he added.

Henry, along with KBB’s Alec Gutierrez, will be making a presentation during the opening day of the CPO Dealer Forum presented by AutoTrader.com. The CPO Dealer Forum starts up the Used Car Week conferences, which are being held at The Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz., from Nov. 12 through 16.

For more details, visit cpo.autoremarketing.com or www.usedcarweek.biz.