What dealers are experiencing in the lanes during the spring market didn’t exactly show up in the latest Black Book Used Vehicle Retention Index.

Black Book released its Used Vehicle Retention Index for March on Thursday, showing that it fell 1.2 percent for the month to register at 112.0, down from the February reading of 113.3.

Editors calculated the index has now softened by 0.9 percent during the past 12 months.

The Black Book Used Vehicle Retention Index is calculated using Black Book’s published wholesale average value on 2- to 6-year-old used vehicles, as percent of original typically-equipped MSRP. It is weighted based on registration volume and adjusted for seasonality, vehicle age, mileage and condition.

Despite a healthy start to the spring selling season, Black Book acknowledged the index still saw a slight dip from the previous month. Black Book discussed how strong car prices have been in this report.

The latest index update reflected how small car segments saw increases during the month, such as compact cars (up 1.4 percent) and subcompact cars (up 0.8 percent). Segments showing declines included full-size crossover/SUV (down 1.7 percent), compact crossovers (down 0.9 percent), and full-size pickups (down 1.2 percent).

“We continue to see pockets of increases in the Index, with particular concentration on car segments that have been in demand throughout the spring selling season,” said Anil Goyal, executive vice president of operations at Black Book.

“We’re continuing to keep an eye on evolving trends in truck segments that have shown stable price increases in the recent years, but are now starting to show declines,” Goyal continued.

The index dates back to January 2005, where Black Book published a benchmark index value of 100.0 for the market. During 2008, the index dropped by 14.1 percent while during 2016, the index fell by just 6.4 percent.

During 2011, the index rose strongly from 113.3 to 123.0 by the end of the year as the economy picked up steam and used-vehicle values rose higher. It continued to remain relatively stable, rising slightly until May of 2014 when it hit a peak of 128.1.

To obtain a copy of the latest Black Book Wholesale Value Index, go to this website.