As 2017 wound down, J.D. Power Valuation Services, KAR Auction Services and RVI Group all shared their wholesale price analysis for what happened in November.
The report that showed the greatest change came from J.D. Power Valuation Services, which indicated in its latest issue of Guidelines that wholesale prices of used vehicles up to 8 years in age fell by 4.2 percent in November.
“November’s loss was more than anticipated,” analysts said in the report. “However, we expected some compensation towards the end of the year for the lift in demand and strengthening in prices associated with Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.”
After three consecutive months of increases, the J.D. Power Valuation Services’ Seasonally Adjusted Used Vehicle Price Index declined in November, softening by 1.6 points or 1.4 percent to settle at 113.0. Through November, the index is down 5.9 percent compared to the same period in 2016.
Meanwhile, according to ADESA Analytical Services’ monthly analysis of wholesale prices by vehicle model class, values in November averaged $10,797. That figure represented a 1.6-percent drop compared to October, but a 1.2-percent lift relative to November 2016.
KAR Auction Services chief economist Tom Kontos pointed out that almost all segments saw month-over-month average price declines, although full-size SUV/CUVs had a noteworthy uptick despite higher gas prices.
“Average wholesale prices in November were down month-over-month more significantly than in October and, despite being up modestly on a year-over-year basis, are indicative of an end to the price boost from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma,” Kontos said in his latest installment of the Kontos Kommentary.
“Retail used vehicle demand was soft for the month as well, although CPO sales were solid,” he added. “Lingering truck demand in Texas in the aftermath of Harvey may have again contributed to the strength of midsize SUV/CUV prices in November.”
The team at RVI Group determined real used-vehicle prices (seasonally adjusted, 2- to 5-year-old vehicles) declined slightly on a year-over-year basis in November.
According to the RVI Used Car Price Index, real used vehicle prices (after adjusting for MSRP) fell by 0.1 percent in November when compared to November of the previous year.
Similarly, month-over-month real used vehicle prices declined by 0.1 percent. On a month-over-month basis, about half of the segments saw small gains in used car prices.
“Prices for used vehicles are stronger than expected due to higher demand for both new and used vehicles after the hurricane season damaged approximately 1 million cars,” RVI Group said.
Kontos offered more insights from ADESA’s November data when looking deeper into the market.
Kontos pointed out that average wholesale prices for used vehicles remarketed by manufacturers were up 0.9 percent month-over-month and up 7.3 percent year-over-year.
He also mentioned that prices for fleet/lease consignors dropped 2.3 percent sequentially but ticked up 0.8 percent annually.
Kontos went on to state that average prices for dealer consignors were down 4.2 percent versus October and up 3.7 percent relative to November 2016.
Turning back to Guidelines, J.D. Power Valuation Services projected how the December data might land.
Analysts projected that wholesale prices of vehicles up to 8 years in age are expected to decline by approximately 1 percent. That forecast is slightly less than what analysts recorded a year earlier, which was a dip of 1.7 percent.
In terms of its full-year expectations, J.D. Power Valuation Services pegged used-vehicle prices to drop by 5.6 percent in 2017, which would be 1.5 points higher than what the firm spotted for 2016.
ADESA Wholesale Used-Vehicle Price Trends
| |
Average |
Price |
($/Unit) |
Latest |
Month Versus |
| |
November 2017 |
October 2017 |
November 2016 |
Prior Month |
Prior Year |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Total All Vehicles |
$10,797 |
$10,970 |
$10,672 |
–1.6% |
1.2% |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Total Cars |
$8,546 |
$8,718 |
$8,472 |
-2.0% |
0.9% |
| Compact Car |
$6,565 |
$6,578 |
$6,314 |
-0.2% |
4.0% |
| Midsize Car |
$7,794 |
$7,846 |
$7,446 |
-0.7% |
4.7% |
| Full-size Car |
$7,190 |
$7,109 |
$7,656 |
1.1% |
-6.1% |
| Luxury Car |
$13,223 |
$13,680 |
$13,182 |
-3.3% |
0.3% |
| Sporty Car |
$13,739 |
$13,922 |
$13,064 |
-1.3% |
5.2% |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Total Trucks |
$12,950 |
$13,081 |
$12,726 |
-1.0% |
1.8% |
| Minivan |
$8,554 |
$8,775 |
$8,623 |
-2.5% |
-0.8% |
| Full-size Van |
$12,940 |
$13,091 |
$12,320 |
-1.2% |
5.0% |
| Compact SUV/CUV |
$10,599 |
$10,630 |
$10,439 |
-0.3% |
1.5% |
| Midsize SUV/CUV |
$11,133 |
$11,272 |
$11,473 |
-1.2% |
-3.0% |
| Full-size SUV/CUV |
$14,208 |
$13,832 |
$14,607 |
2.7% |
-2.7% |
| Luxury SUV/CUV |
$18,844 |
$19,059 |
$18,554 |
-1.1% |
1.6% |
| Compact Pickup |
$9,102 |
$9,359 |
$8,755 |
-2.7% |
4.0% |
| Full-size Pickup |
$16,419 |
$16,640 |
$15,548 |
-1.3% |
5.6% |
Source: ADESA Analytical Services. October data revised.
ADESA recently announced that it has raised more than $1 million for JDRF in partnership with the Ford Global Action Team.
ADESA auctions have partnered with the Ford Global Action Team to raise money for JDRF since 2012 and has collected a total of $1,030,505 for the global organization dedicated to funding research to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes.
Six auctions raised a combined $251,657 last year, according to ADESA.
“Thanks to the incredible generosity of our dealers and our employees, we passed the million-dollar mark during this year’s campaign,” KAR executive vice president and chief client officer Tom Caruso said in a news release. “We would not have been able to make such a significant contribution to the important cause of T1D research without the support of our customers and the dedication of our auction teams.”
Each year, a group of ADESA auction locations competes to raise the most money for JDRF. Last year, ADESA Indianapolis led the campaign with a total donation of $65,176.
First-time participating auctions, ADESA Brasher’s in Sacramento, Calif., and ADESA Salt Lake raised more than $70,000 combined.
Meanwhile, annual campaign participants ADESA Buffalo, ADESA Phoenix and ADESA Boston collected more than $116,000 last year.
“ADESA’s commitment to this effort is evident in these remarkable results,” said Ford Motor Co. board director Edsel Ford II. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with ADESA in support of JDRF.”
Insurance Auto Auctions recently announced that it has both relocated its Jackson, Miss., branch and expanded its Grenada facility in the same state to significantly boost the company’s inventory capacity.
The company said the new expansions have increased the facilities’ previously combined 32 acres to more than 130 acres for expanded vehicle selection and inventory space for market growth and future catastrophic events.
“Our clients in Mississippi have increasing inventory needs, and these expansions will help us continue to offer our best-in-class customer service and auction experience,” IAA chief executive officer and president John Kett said in a news release. “We can now host a single, dual lane weekly auction in Byram and offer greater capacity for vehicle volume resulting from potential catastrophic events, as well as growing client needs.”
In addition to two new run and drive lanes and a Vehicle Inspection Center, the new IAA Jackson facility located in nearby Byram will feature covered vehicle inspection areas and increased security, including thermal imaging cameras.
The newly expanded IAA Grenada facility has added inventory and storage space and will host its auctions on Thursdays. It will hold preview days every Wednesday, according to IAA.
Manheim hosted its first open digital block sale for BMW Financial Services via Simulcast from BMW’s Performance Center in Thermal, Calif., last month.
Dealer participants both onsite and online could preview and bid on 174 luxury vehicles sourced from Manheim Riverside, Manheim San Francisco and Manheim Nevada.
One hundred and twenty-nine clients participated digitally, and roughly 74 percent of the units were sold, according to Manheim.
“Delivering new and innovative ways to offer quality pre-owned inventory to our dealers is a top priority for us,” BMW Financial Services Sales Channel Development general manager Patrick Clark said in a news release. “Dealers told us how much they enjoyed the flexible sale environment and wide selection of BMW vehicles.”
The company estimates that the total number of vehicles sold outside of its physical auction facilities will reach 215,000 this year.
“We value our close working relationship with BMW Financial Services,” said Mark Davidson, senior national account director at Cox Automotive. “Because of BMW’s relentless commitment to innovation, together we’ve delivered many programs that benefit our companies and mutual dealers.”
Additionally, before the block sale other BMW Financial Services and Manheim collaborations have included a mobile sale at Fluor Field in Greenville, S.C., a web-based vehicle portfolio management solution for BMWGroupDirect.com powered by RMS Automotive and the BMW National Workshop at Manheim Riverside.
The last Oldsmobile ever built will go to the highest bidder today.
Over a decade after its debut at the Lansing Assembly Plant in April 2004, General Motors and General Motors Financial have decided to sell the vehicle, along with two other commemorative models after their stay at the GM Heritage Center.
“Every year a group of several interested employees including executives go over the Heritage collection inventory,” GM Heritage Center manager Greg Wallace said in an email interview with Auto Remarketing. “The intent is to keep only the crown jewels and sell selected properties at auction. We then take the proceeds and improve our collection by acquiring historically significant properties we need.”
GM has chosen State Line Auto Auction of Waverly, N.Y., to host the sale. It has been a company-sponsored auction since 1990.
Along with the last Oldsmobile — a dark cherry 2004 Oldsmobile Alero with only 29 miles, according to State Line owner Jeff Barber — the sale also features the last Oldsmobile Cutlass (a 1999 model) and a 1996 Oldsmobile Cierra.
Founded by the American car manufacturer Ransome Eli Olds, the Oldsmobile brand’s last model was produced by GM from 1999 to 2004. Its 1901 to 1904 Curved Dash model was the first mass-produced car.
State Line said each of the three commemorative vehicles are scheduled to be offered at 12:00 p.m. (ET) in Lane 8/GM Financial Lane. Bidding is open to any dealer registered with State Line.
In addition to having extremely low mileage, all three vehicles have their original MSO statements of ownership. The 1999 Cutlass has just 107 miles, and the 1996 Ciera has 127 miles, said Barber of State Line.
Prior to its time at the GM Heritage Center, the last Oldsmobile was also on display at the R.E. Old Transportation Museum, according to a news release from State Line.
After rolling off the assembly line at the Lansing Assembly Plant in Lansing, Mich., the historic Alero was signed by the Oldsmobile the assembly line employees who built the car.
There were 500 commemorative editions of the Alero model built in 2004, Wallace said, including the last — No. 500.
Oldsmobile sold a few hundred commemorative editions of each of its models the same year, and GM currently has more than 100 historic Oldsmobiles in its collection spanning from 1896 to 2004, according to Wallace.
Auction Management Solutions (AMS) recently partnered with partnered with Greater Milwaukee Auto Auction (GMAA) for business development consulting, growing its client roster to 22.
Founded in 2004 by owner Kristie Letizia, GMAA is the largest independent auto auction in the state of Wisconsin. What originally started as a 15-acre facility has now grown to cover more than 35 acres, running five lanes weekly and offering more than 800 vehicles, featuring a separate state of the art reconditioning facility including a full body shop and an on-site test track.
“We are very excited to be working with the AMS team to help grow our national account base and to increase our national presence,” Letizia said. “We have a proven track record with accounts like Ally Bank, ARI and General Motors, and we want to bring that same positive experience and expertise to other national consignors.
“Ultimately these units offered will bring added inventory opportunities to the local dealers that we partner with here at GMAA,” Letizia added.
AMS was started by industry veterans Tom Stewart and Richard Curtis, who along with Jamye Carpenter, Shelly Frank and Cynthia Meyer, provide consulting, training and recruiting services to the automotive industry that include independent auto auctions, service providers and vendors.
“GMAA is an auction powerhouse in their market with a superlative track record, and through their partnership with AMS, we hope to expose this excellent auction location and its remarketing prowess to the national account community,” Stewart said.
“Partnering with strong independent auctions has been a focus since we started AMS in July of 2016,” Stewart continued. “We have developed a comprehensive sales strategy that assists independent auctions to not only grow their consignment business but also their bottom line,” Stewart went on to say.
Adding GMAA brings the total number of AMS auction partners to 22, which also include:
166 Auto Auction
All Valley Dealers Auction
Alliance Auto Auction of Abilene
Alliance Auto Auction of Dallas
Alliance Auto Auction of Longview
Alliance Auto Auction of Waco
Columbus Fair Auto Auction
Central Auto Auction
DAA Chattanooga
DAA Huntsville
DAA Memphis
DAA Mobile
DAA Murfreesboro
Dealers Auto Auction of Idaho
Greater Erie Auto Auction
Greater Quad City Auto Auction
Oklahoma Auto Exchange
Rea Bros Mid-South Auction
Richmond Auto Auction
Rochester Syracuse Auto Auction
Southeastern Auto Auction
GAA Classic Cars Auction announced Tuesday that it is gearing up for two big sales that will offer vehicles and memorabilia from two collections in March.
On March 1, the Greensboro, N.C. auction will launch a three-day sale featuring 550 vehicles from the Gary Copeland Collection of 1932 and 1934 Fords. The sale will include a 1934 Ford Cabriolet and a 1932 Ford Sport Coupe.
Additionally, GAA Classic Cars' nale from March 22 through March 24 will offer the collection of Jerry and June Smith of the Memory Lane Museum in Eatonton, Ga.
There will be 250 cars, along with 30 motorcycles and thousands of pieces of memorabilia up for bid during the three days.
Some of the classics in the collection include a low mile 1970 Super Bird, a 1957 Fuelie Bel Air, a Model A and a pink 1957 Series 62 Cadillac.
In addition to the helmet Evil Kenevil wore when he jumped the fountain in Las Vegas and an extensive group of 1970s’ baseball cards, pieces of available memorabilia include a wide variety of signs, a Harley Davidson bicycle and gas pumps, according to GAA Classic Cars.
Wade Walker, founder of Corpus Christi Auto Auction and San Antonio Auto Auction, passed away Saturday. He was 55.
“Wade was a devoted loving father, husband, grandfather, and friend to all. He enjoyed water skiing, snow skiing, cycling, traveling and spending time with family and friends,” reads an obituary provided by his family.
“Wade was always there to lend a helping hand in need and was described as a gentle, compassionate, wise, loving man of God. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him,” it said.
The National Auto Auction Association said in a note, “N ational Auto Auction Association's deepest sympathy extends out to
the Walker family, friends and auction family.”
Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday at Oakwood Baptist Church in New Braunfels, Texas.
A visitation with family is scheduled for Friday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Doeppenschmidt Funeral Home in New Braunfels.
Those looking to make a monetary donation in Walker’s name are encouraged to make donations to:
New Braunfels Christian Ministries
Attention: Kids Club
1659 State Highway 46 W.
Ste. 115-405
New Braunfels, Texas 78132
Holiday shoppers are in the throes of finding bargains for gift giving. Dealers are in the same predicament in the lanes while looking for inventory, according to the latest observations from Black Book.
Along with what auction watchers described, this week’s Black Book Market Insights report showed both car and truck segments depreciating more than usual. Both segments overall softened in value by 0.64 percent and 0.65 percent, respectively.
Editors noticed only two vehicle categories maintained their value from last week — sub-compact crossovers and compact vans.
“After three months of relatively strong performance, seasonal slide of used vehicle values kicks into high gear,” said Anil Goyal, Black Book’s senior vice president of automotive valuation and analytics.
Volume-weighted, Black Book determined overall car segment values decreased by 0.64 percent last week, higher than the average weekly decrease of 0.58 percent in values spotted during the previous four weeks.
Editors indicated the near-luxury car segment decreased in value at the highest rate among all the car segments at 0.92 percent or $139.
Volume-weighted, Black Book found that overall truck segment values — including pickups, SUVs and vans dropped by 0.65 percent last week, above the average weekly drop of 0.42 percent in values noticed during the previous four weeks.
Editors pointed out that the midsize luxury crossover/SUV and minivan segments dipped in value at the highest rate among all the truck segments, each sliding by 1.21 percent.
When it comes to lane activity, Black Book representatives reflected what the data revealed.
Down in Florida, a lane watcher said, “Late-model vehicles struggled to reach the remarketing floors while the older clean units brought good to excellent money.”
Another anecdote out of the Sunshine State noted, “As is always the case, the dealers gravitated toward the lanes where the consignors were selling off their inventory creating very sparse attendance in the others.”
In the Southeast, a certain kind of inventory kept auctioneers and ringmen busy with the Black Book representative stationed in Tennessee mentioning, “The buy here-pay here vehicles were the highest volume sellers today.”
Out West in California, the auction scene was described as “a typical December market with activity and conversion percentages down.”
Finally in Pennsylvania, Black Book's lane watcher reported, “The dealers here are optimistic about the end of year market and its chances of remaining fairly stable. This is especially true of the truck market.”
November data analysis
Black Book also sifted through its data for all of November and found that the average price of a used vehicle for model years 2012 through 2016 depreciated in value by 2.2 percent. Editors indicated cars dropped by 2.6 percent overall, and trucks decreased 1.8 percent in value during November.
Black Book added that all vehicles are averaging a 12-month depreciation rate of 13.2 percent.
Editors noticed that small pickups were the only vehicle category to increase in value during November, ticking up by 0.4 percent. Vehicles in the small pickup category include the Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon, Nissan Frontier and the Honda Ridgeline.
Small pickups ended the month with an average segment price of $21,454, a 6.8-percent drop from year-ago levels ($23,030).
Editors also mentioned sub-compact cars saw the largest decrease in value last month, depreciating by 3.7 percent. Vehicles in this segment include the Chevrolet Sonic, Ford Fiesta, Honda Fit, Toyota Yaris, Nissan Versa, Kia Soul and the Hyundai Accent. This segment entered December with an average price of $6,211.
Black Book went on to note that full-size pickups saw the least depreciation from year-ago value levels. This segment, which closed out November with an average segment price of $24,020, has dropped only 4.3 percent from its value in November of 2016 ($25,111). Vehicles in this category include the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Ram 1500, GMC Sierra 1500 and the Ford F-150.
“After steady used car values in October, vehicle values overall decreased slightly in November,” Goyal said. “Values typically drop slightly around the holiday season as we reach late into the year, especially right before the tax rebate checks begin to spur buying activity in the first quarter.”
Dealers are still feeling relatively optimistic about their user-car operations. And for independents, in particular, they’re starting to see some relief from supply shortages — albeit in the form of pricier units.
As part of the fourth quarter Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index, franchised and independent dealers were asked for their thoughts on the current used-car sales environment.
In general, the feeling was slightly less optimistic than it was in the third quarter, but not drastically so — and, by the way, it's still above average.
Overall, dealers scored the current used-car sales environment at 55 on a scale from zero (poor) to 100 (good), with 50 being average. That’s down from 57 last quarter.
Franchised dealers were at 67, compared to a score of 68 in Q3. Independents were at 51, compared to 53 in the prior quarter.
On the used-car inventory side, dealers were similarly in the middle of the road.
On a scale of zero to 100 (zero being declining, 50 as average and 100 as growing), dealers overall put their used-car inventory levels at 53.
That’s up from 51 in the third quarter.
Franchised dealers were at 55 (steady from Q3), and independents came in at 53 (up from 50).
Pointing out the stability in the inventory measure, Cox Automotive said not as many independent dealers say they are struggling with “limited inventory,” which had been a hurdle.
“Inventory can be a positive or a negative factor for market conditions, but dealers seem to be successfully navigating shifts in new- and used-vehicle supply,” Cox Automotive chief economist Jonathan Smoke said in a news release accompanying the report.
That said, the report does indicate that there is more pressure for independent dealers to lower prices. That measure climbed from 62 to 67 for independents (zero: less, 50: average, 100: more), pushing the overall number from 63 to 67.
Franchised dealers were steady at 67.
“Independents are having to deal with the scarcity of 5- to 8-year-old vehicles by shifting to what’s most available: less than 4-year-old vehicles,” said Smoke. “By shifting to newer vehicles, they are paying higher prices yet they are also continuing to serve a value-seeking consumer who is more likely to have credit challenges. That translates into relentless pressure on price.”
To Smoke’s point, the top two factors that independent dealers say are holding back their overall business are market conditions (45 percent) and credit availability for consumers (39 percent). For franchised dealers, the top limiting factors overall (not just used) were market conditions (40 percent) and competition (32 percent).
Going back to overall used-car sales, it appears the optimism may be well-rooted.
In a separate analysis, Cox Automotive estimated that there was a 4-percent decrease in retail used-car sales last month. The seasonally adjusted annualized rate for used-car sales was softer at 34 million units, but the company still anticipates full-year sales to reach 39.1 million, which would be a nearly 2-percent hike.
And while the report indicates the pre-owned market “took a backseat as momentum favored new-vehicle sales” in November, analysts with the company say that trend might reverse in 2018.
In a conference call with the media on Dec. 1, Autotrader executive analyst Michelle Krebs said: “Next year, we also see an influx of off-lease vehicles coming that will give new-vehicle sales some competition, and especially in the utility segment, which we expect to continue to grow, but there could be some battling going on between new and nearly new.”
