CARMEL, Ind. -

Along with recapping some of the full-year used-vehicle metrics he discussed during NADA Show 2018, KAR Auction Services chief economist Tom Kontos also pinpointed wholesale price movements for February.

According to ADESA Analytical Services’ monthly analysis of wholesale used-vehicle prices by vehicle model class, wholesale used-vehicle prices in February averaged $10,707, which was 2.5 percent lower compared to January and 0.2 percent higher relative to February 2017.

Kontos noted that sporty cars made the highest price jump in February, climbing by 4.5 percent.

He added that decliners were paced by full-size cars, which softened by 6.6 percent.

According to his presentation shared during the annual event hosted by the National Automobile Dealers Association, there was a 2.0-percent lift in used-vehicle transactions in 2017. The combination of turns at franchised and independent stores as well as deals made by private parties resulted in 41.38 million used-vehicle sales last year, according to Kontos.

The 2017 figure represented a jump of 827,000 units, with private sales constituting more than half of that amount. Here is a breakdown of the full-year figure:

— Sales at franchised dealerships: 15.1 million

— Sales at independent dealerships: 14.1 million

— Private party transactions: 12.1 million

Also of note within Kontos’ NADA material, the KAR expert mentioned how 2017 also marked a significant drop if sales into rental fleets. Last year, the industry saw a drop-off of 12.3 percent or 222,544 units go into the rental market.

Still, Kontos indicated automakers still sent 1,592,380 new vehicles into rental fleets in 2017.

And one other full-year metric Kontos shared focused on sales volume by seller type. Fleet/lease consignors posted a 10.3 percent year-over-year volume lift in 2017 while manufacturers sustained a softening of 14.7 percent. Kontos also pegged dealer consignment volume as being down by 4.0 percent year-over year.

“Dealer consignment volumes are down as dealers take fewer new-car trades,” Kontos said in his presentation. “Declining manufacturer volumes reflect lower rental sales and recall delays. Off-lease and repo volumes are reflected in growing fleet/lease sales.”

ADESA Wholesale Used-Vehicle Price Trends

   Average  Price  ($/Unit)  Latest  Month Versus
   February 2018  January 2018  February 2017  Prior Month  Prior Year
           
 Total All Vehicles  $10,707  $10,980  $10,688  -2.5%  0.2%
           
 Total Cars  $8,609  $8,751  $8,732  -1.6%  -1.4%
 Compact Car  $6,563  $6,698  $6,658  -2.0%  -1.4%
 Midsize Car  $7,702  $7,880  $7,942  -2.3%  -3.0%
 Full-size Car  $7,554  $7,853  $8,092  -3.8%  -6.6%
 Luxury Car  $13,132  $13,170  $13,015  -0.3%  0.9%
 Sporty Car  $14,079  $13,987  $13,478  0.7%  4.5%
           
 Total Trucks  $12,647  $13,074  $12,650  -3.3%  0.0%
 Minivan  $8,714  $9,048  $9,004  -3.7%  -3.2%
 Full-size Van  $13,032  $12,980  $12,838  0.4%  1.5%
 Compact SUV/CUV  $10,638  $10,680  $10,733  -0.4%  -0.9%
 Midsize SUV/CUV  $11,083  $11,578  $11,319  -4.3%  -2.1%
 Full-size SUV/CUV  $13,411  $14,648  $13,140  -8.4%  2.1%
 Luxury SUV/CUV  $18,101  $18,466  $18,258  -1.9%  -0.9%
 Compact Pickup  $8,977  $9,306  $8,818  -3.5%  1.8%
 Full-size Pickup  $16,635  $16,190  $15,796  -3.4%  -1.0%

Source: ADESA Analytical Services.