Top Cars With Highest Resale Value of 2006

Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com, the trusted resource for new and used-vehicle information, announced the 2006 model year winners of its annual Best Resale Value Awards recently.

These awards, presented as a new model year begins, recognize automakers' outstanding achievements in designing, engineering and producing vehicles that best retain their value. Since depreciation (or loss of value) is typically consumers' biggest expense during the first five years of car ownership, these awards, like all of kbb.com's information services, are designed to help consumers make better car-buying decisions. Based on well-informed projections by Kelley Blue Book's expert staff of market analysts that are encapsulated in the Kelley Blue Book Residual Value Guide, the awards honor vehicles that are expected to have the best resale value after five years of ownership.

The awards are presented to the vehicle with the highest projected resale value in each of Kelley Blue Book's nine vehicle categories. In addition, awards are presented to the Overall Top 10 leaders in projected resale value regardless of segment, and Kelley Blue Book also honors the brand with the best projected resale value across its line of vehicles. Low-volume vehicles and vehicles with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price of more than $60,000 are excluded from awards consideration.

"Today marks another milestone in Kelley Blue Book's history as we recognize these superior 2006 model year vehicles by presenting awards at a major auto show," said Paul Johnson, president and CEO for Kelley Blue Book. "The honored manufacturers deserve special recognition for producing vehicles with exceptional and sustained value."

The 2006 model year winners of Kelley Blue Book's Best Resale Value Awards are:

2006 BEST RESALE VALUE:
BMW and MINI (Tie)

2006 BEST RESALE VALUE:
SEDAN — Honda Accord Hybrid
LUXURY — Infiniti M45
COUPE — Infiniti G35 Coupe
PICKUP — Toyota Tacoma PreRunner
CONVERTIBLE — Chevrolet Corvette
SPORT UTILITY — Porsche Cayenne
WAGON — Subaru Outback
VAN/MINIVAN — Honda Odyssey
HATCHBACK — MINI Cooper / Toyota Prius (Tie)

2006 BEST RESALE VALUE: TOP 10 (in alphabetical order)
BMW 5 Series
Chevrolet Corvette
Honda Accord Hybrid
Infiniti G35 Coupe
Infiniti M45
Lexus GX 470
MINI Cooper
Porsche Cayenne
Toyota Prius
Volvo XC90

(All values based on the September/October 2005 Kelley Blue Book® Residual Value Guide).

While the company's Residual Value Guide has been published since 1981, Kelley Blue Book established its annual Best Resale Value Awards in 2003. Kelley Blue Book's residual values are projections based on current vehicle data, market conditions for each vehicle, competition in segment, expectations of the future economy and the combined experience of Kelley Blue Book's team of market and pricing analysts. Values reflect projected future wholesale pricing for clean, reconditioned vehicles at the end of a five-year lease period. Kelley Blue Book's residual values are used by banks, financial institutions, governmental agencies and the automotive leasing industry.

Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com is America's most used and trusted vehicle pricing, values and information resource. The top-rated Web site provides the most up-to-date pricing and values for thousands of new and used vehicles, including the Blue Book® New Car Value, which reveals what people actually are paying for new cars. Since 1926, car buyers and sellers have relied upon Kelley Blue Book for authoritative and unbiased information to make well-informed automotive decisions. The company also reports vehicle prices and values via products and services, including the famous Blue Book® Official Guide and software products. Car buyers have rated kbb.com No. 1 in overall customer satisfaction and experience, according to a survey by Keynote Systems. Kbb.com also has been named the No. 1 automotive information site by Nielsen//NetRatings and J.D. Power and Associates seven years in a row. No other medium reaches more in-market vehicle shoppers than kbb.com; one in every three American car buyers complete their research on kbb.com.

(Source: KBB)