March 2009 issue
OPENLANE Market Index

The OPENLANE Price Index measures pricing trends by segment in our marketplace. It represents the most recent prices obtained at auction and provides for a high level trend of pricing in the just concluded month relative to monthly pricing since January 2008. Given the market volatility of 2008 in general, we have continued to show trends with January 2008 as a baseline. We intend to change the index to show a rolling 13 months at some point in the future.
The OPENLANE Vehicle Interest trend is unique to OPENLANE and represents a leading indicator of what dealers are interested in acquiring for their used vehicle inventory. The index should help consignors get an early indicator for vehicle demand and provide high level insight on what they can expect in the marketplace over the next 30-60 days.

OPENLANE US Market Index

US Price Trend: All vehicle segments show increase in price in February 2009.

The used vehicle wholesale market has experienced a strong 2009 in January and February. Volume and pricing have been healthy and the market has recovered somewhat from the depths of 3rd and 4th Quarters of 2008.

  • Used vehicle wholesale pricing has seen an upward trend in all segments.
  • Minivans, Trucks and SUVs have continued their upward trend since December 2008.
  • The car segment which dipped in pricing for four months prior, appears to have recovered some strength in February.
  • Overall, truck and minivan pricing are above February 2008 levels. However, SUVs and Cars haven't achieved February 2008 levels yet. The SUV pricing is 4 percentage points below February 2008 levels and Cars are 8 percentage points below February 2008.

US Dealer Interest Trend: Increased interest in cars and minivans while interest in SUVs and trucks decrease.

  • Dealer interest is up in all segments except trucks and SUVs.
  • The Truck segment has seen a material decline indicating some softness in demand. The interest in trucks dropped by 13 percentage points. The truck interest index is well below February 2008 levels
  • The SUV segment has seen a slightly lower drop in interest (6 percentage point drop) but still remains healthy relative to 3rd and 4th Quarters of 2008 and at a much higher level than February 2008 levels
  • Dealer interest in Minivans continues to maintain an upward trend that started in August 2008. The indices for these segments are nearly at February 2008 levels.
  • Dealer interest in the Car segment has been relatively stable in the last 7 months and is slightly below February 2008 levels.
OPENLANE Canadian Market Index

Canadian Price Trend: Slight decline in car pricing but an upward trend in truck, SUV, and minivan pricing.

  • Truck pricing continued to stay above February 2008 levels for 14 consecutive months and gained 7 percentage points in February. The truck pricing index is 15 percentage points below February 2008 levels.
  • Car pricing has been above the February 2008 level for 11 consecutive months. Although there was a slight decrease in February, car pricing is up 7 percentage points from February 2008.
  • SUV pricing slightly increased in February but is 9 percentage points below February 2008 levels.
  • For the first time in 5 months, the minivan segment experienced an increase in pricing and but is still well below February 2008 levels.

Canadian Dealer Interest Trend: Increased interest in cars and minivans while interest in SUVs and trucks decrease.

Chart 4 indicates dealer interest for each vehicle segment in Canada as indicated by the number of page views for vehicles listed on OPENLANE. The data shows:

  • Dealer interest in trucks has been above February 2008 levels for 7 consecutive months. Although there was a slight decrease in February, interest in trucks is 10 percentage points above February 2008 levels.
  • The car segment experienced an increase in dealer interest in February 2009 and is 11 percentage points above February 2008 levels.
  • Dealer interest in SUVs declined in February 2009 and is slightly below February 2008 levels.
  • The Minivan segment experienced an increase of 11 percentage points - the most interest this segment has experienced in the last 6 months. Dealer interest is 47 percentage points below the February 2008 levels.

NEWS and updates

OPENLANE maximizes the efficiency of online auction transactions by employing the innovative technology and services behind its CarsArrive transportation network. With a carrier network of over 4,500 companies and approximately 30,000 trucks, the online transportation tool optimizes transport loads making vehicle transport more cost-efficient.

View the complete article

Contact Us

OPENLANE
Phone: 866-969-0321
Fax: 480-393-2960
Email: Sales-USInstitutional@openlane.com

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