Tom Kontos
Executive Vice President, Customer Strategies & Analytics
ADESA Analytical Services
Wholesale prices rose sequentially and on year-over-year basis in January partly due to influx of off-rental units that biased average prices upward; Surge of off-rental units stems in large part from vehicles taken out of service in January following extended use in Northeast in aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
Click here to read Kontos Kommentary on January market trends
Average Prices of Off-Rental Units Were Biased Upward:
With disproportionate share of late-model used vehicles hitting auction in January.
One Can Expect Wholesale Prices to Resume General Softening Pattern:
That began around mid-2012 and that was interrupted by Superstorm Sandy.
Wholesale Prices Were up 2.5% Over December and 1.3% Over January 2012:
Strongest year-on-year price increases were registered by fullsize vans, compact crossovers, midsize cars, fullsize pickups, and mini SUVs.
