Consumer Searches Hit Record High on cars.com in January
CHICAGO, Feb. 3, 2006 -- Car searches on cars.com hit a record high in January, with the number of unique visitors exceeding 7.4 million*, according to the most recent Consumer Search Index report.
Third-party online automotive websites like cars.com saw a lull in number of searches and online traffic after manufacturers' employee-discount programs ended in the beginning of the fourth quarter of 2005. The dramatic increase in site traffic at the beginning of this year is especially significant given January tends to be a slower month for car sales.
"The fact that we have experienced such a large rebound in site traffic is significant not only for sites like cars.com, but it certainly represents a positive start to 2006 for the automotive industry as a whole," said Joe Wiesenfelder, senior editor at cars.com. "In fact, many manufacturers already are reporting better-than-expected sales in January."
Intense media coverage of the North American International Auto Show also helped drive consumer traffic to vehicles that received favorable coverage at the show. The Dodge Challenger concept car that was unveiled in Detroit led to a more-than-100-percent increase in searches for used Challengers on cars.com.
Vehicle Searches (January)
Models with the largest number of searches performed on cars.com
Top New-Car Vehicle Searches Top Used-Car Vehicle Searches
1 Honda Civic 1 Honda Accord
2 Honda Accord 2 Honda Civic
3 Toyota Camry 3 Ford Mustang
4 Toyota RAV4 4 Toyota Camry
5 Acura MDX 5 Ford F-150
6 Toyota Corolla 6 Toyota Corolla
7 Ford Mustang 7 Toyota Tacoma
8 BMW 325 8 Jeep Grand Cherokee
9 Toyota Tacoma 9 Nissan Maxima
10 Nissan Altima 10 Chevrolet Corvette
Search Increases (December-January)
Models with the largest increase in the number of searches performed
on cars.com
Top New-Car Search Increases Top Used-Car Search Increases
1 Chevrolet Tahoe 95.84% 1 Dodge Challenger 108.24%
2 Jeep Grand Cherokee 37.83% 2 Ford Fusion 63.07%
3 Pontiac Solstice 29.31% 3 Chevrolet Cobalt 55.78%
4 Toyota RAV4 23.24% 4 Pontiac G6 55.13%
5 Mitsubishi Eclipse 22.44% 5 Volkswagen Cabrio 48.73%
6 Jeep Commander 19.65% 6 Chrysler 300 48.02%
7 Ford Fusion 19.19% 7 Dodge Charger 46.50%
8 Dodge Charger 19.10% 8 Kia Spectra 46.20%
9 Chevrolet Cobalt 16.88% 9 Lexus IS 250 45.82%
10 Ford Mustang 15.44% 10 Scion tC 45.76%
Search Decreases (December-January)
Models with the largest decrease in the number of searches performed
on cars.com
Top New-Car Search Decreases Top Used-Car Search Decrease**
1 Toyota Sequoia 19.81%
2 Volkswagen Passat 15.41%
3 Hummer H3 14.51%
4 Toyota Avalon 13.97%
5 Toyota Sienna 12.33%
6 Lexus RX 330 12.29%
7 Honda CR-V 10.65%
8 Nissan Xterra 10.61%
9 Honda Pilot 9.88%
10 Acura TSX 9.56%
Top Dealer Email Inquiries (January)
New Cars Yielding the Most Used Cars Yielding the Most
Dealer Inquiries Dealer Inquiries
1 Honda Civic (2006) 1 Honda Civic (2000)
2 Honda Accord (2006) 2 Ford Explorer (2002)
3 Toyota RAV4 (2006) 3 Honda Accord (2003)
4 Toyota Camry (2006) 4 Honda Accord (2002)
5 Honda Odyssey (2006) 5 Honda Accord (2000)
6 Toyota Corolla (2006) 6 Honda Civic (2002)
7 Toyota Prius (2006) 7 Audi A4 (1995)
8 Toyota Tacoma (2006) 8 Honda Civic (1998)
9 Toyota Sienna (2006) 9 Honda Civic (2001)
10 Toyota Highlander (2006) 10 Infiniti G35 (2003)
Top Cars Listed For Sale By Owner (January)
1 Honda Civic
2 Honda Accord
3 Volkswagen Jetta
4 Ford Explorer
5 Jeep Grand Cherokee
6 BMW 325
7 Ford F-150
8 BMW 323
9 BMW 330
10 Ford Mustang
* Unique visitor numbers compiled by internal reporting
** There were no significant decreases for used cars due to the large
increase in search volume.
About the cars.com Consumer Search Index
The cars.com Consumer Search Index offers a comprehensive look at the internet search behavior of cars.com visitors. The statistical information is compiled by tracking the more than 7 million unique visitors that log on to cars.com each month and the vehicles that are most popular. The lists are based off a minimum of 4,000 searches for any given vehicle. Dealer inquiries measure the volume of emails consumers send to dealers seeking information about a particular vehicle. The information is supported by expert analysis from the cars.com editorial staff.
More statistical information to support automotive-related stories is available upon request. Please contact Steve Nolan directly at 312-601-5163.
About cars.com
Partnered with more than 200 leading metro newspapers, television stations and their websites, cars.com is the most comprehensive destination for those looking to buy or sell a new or used car. The site lists more than 1.4 million vehicles from 10,000 dealer customers, classified advertisers and private- parties to offer consumers the best selection of new and used cars online, as well as the content, tools and advice to support their shopping experience. Recently selected by Forbes.com as a Best of the Web site for car shopping, cars.com combines powerful inventory search tools and new-car configuration with pricing information, photo galleries, buying guides, side-by-side comparison tools, original editorial content and reviews to help millions of car shoppers connect with sellers each month.
