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New 2008 Vehicles Pique Consumer Interest on Cars.com

SEE ALSO: Compare 2007 and 2008 Models - New Car Buyers Guide

CHICAGO, Sept. 13 -- Several cars that were redesigned for 2008 have generated interest among consumers shopping at Cars.com, according to the latest Cars.com Consumer Search Index.

The 2008 Saturn Vue, Toyota Highlander and Subaru Impreza, all which were redesigned for the 2008 model year, top the list of new cars experiencing the greatest increase in searches on Cars.com over the past month.

"New 2008 models are starting to hit dealer lots in significant numbers, and manufacturers are pushing their marketing efforts to make consumers aware of those new models," said Cars.com managing editor Patrick Olsen. "That being said, there are still plenty of new 2007 vehicles on dealer lots and valuable incentives that make this a pretty good time to buy for consumers."

Below are the vehicles with the most searches on Cars.com and the vehicles experiencing the largest increases and decreases month over month.

  Top New Car Searches (August)
  1   Honda Civic
  2   Toyota Camry
  3   Honda Accord
  4   Nissan Altima
  5   Honda CR-V
  6   Toyota Corolla
  7   Toyota RAV4
  8   Toyota Highlander
  9   Ford Mustang
  10  Chevrolet Silverado

  Used Car Searches (August)
  1   Honda Civic
  2   Honda Accord
  3   Ford Mustang
  4   Toyota Camry
  5   Ford F-150
  6   Toyota Corolla
  7   Toyota Tacoma
  8   Chevrolet Corvette
  9   Jeep Wrangler
  10  Nissan Altima

  New Cars With Largest Increase in
  Searches (August)
  1   Saturn Vue                      34%
  2   Toyota Highlander               33%
  3   Subaru Impreza                  23%
  4   Lexus RX 350                    22%
  5   Toyota RAV4                     19%
  6   Nissan Versa                    19%
  7   Honda Pilot                     17%
  8   Chevrolet Tahoe                 16%
  9   Mercedes-Benz C-Class           15%
  10  Honda CR-V                      14%

  Used Cars With Largest Increase in
  Searches (August)
  1   Volkswagen Touareg              58%
  2   Subaru Tribeca                  43%
  3   Buick Enclave                   30%
  4   Mercury Grand Marquis           22%
  5   Ford Crown Victoria             20%
  6   Audi Q7                         19%
  7   Buick Lucerne                   16%
  8   Lincoln MKX                     15%
  9   Toyota Highlander               12%
  10  Land Rover LR3                  12%

  Used Cars With Largest Decrease in
  Searches (August)
  1   Acura CL                        15%
  2   Scion xA                        14%
  3   BMW Z3                          14%
  4   Toyota Echo                     12%
  5   Volkswagen Cabriolet            12%
  6   Infiniti M45                    11%
  7   Pontiac G5                      11%
  8   Volkswagen Eos                  11%
  9   Pontiac Aztek                   11%
  10  Subaru B9 Tribeca               11%

  New Cars With Largest Decrease in
  Searches (August)
  1   Acura MDX                       45%
  2   Lexus ES 350                    30%
  3   Toyota 4Runner                  22%
  4   Nissan 350Z                     21%
  5   Nissan Altima                   18%
  6   BMW 328                         13%
  7   Mitsubishi Eclipse              12%
  8   Scion tC                        11%
  9   Infiniti G5                      8%
  10  Nissan Maxima                    5%

 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 9 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 10,000 searches. Dealer inquiries measure the volume of emails consumers send to dealers seeking information about a particular vehicle.

About Cars.com

Cars.com is the most comprehensive destination for those looking to buy or sell a new or used car. The site lists more than 2 million vehicles from 13,000 dealer customers, classified advertisers and private parties to offer the more than 9 million unique visitors who log on to the site each month the best selection of new and used cars online, as well as the content, tools and advice to support their shopping experience. 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.

Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, (http://classifiedventures.com/), which is owned by leading media companies, including Belo , Gannett Co., Inc. , The McClatchy Company , Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company .