Wholesale Prices Down but Supply Might be Normalizing, Manheim Consulting Says

Wholesale prices declined for 2nd consecutive month in February; the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index was 3% below February 2012 level. Despite the drag, used retail sales were strong, says Manheim Consulting’s Tom Webb.

Weakening in prices not unexpected – result of payback for year-end uptick in prices caused by Hurricane Sandy as well as…

Wholesale supplies of used vehicles (sold at auction or not) will have sizable increases through 2015, but to keep it in proper perspective…

Off-rental risk vehicles prices sold at auction approached highs reached last Spring; while volume was up from last year, average mileage was…

Click here to review February’s Manheim Used Vehicle Index and Manheim Consulting’s perspectives on market trends…

 

Used Vehicle Sale FICO Scores

  • Used vehicle loans through dealers below previous benchmark of FICO 670 has gone up from about 27% in January 2010 to nearly 45% in late 2012
  • Average FICO score was about 620 in January 2011 and dropped to 580 in January 2013
  • Franchised and independent dealers have been doing much better than private party in used vehicle sales lately, and availability of lower FICO score loans is helping that trend
 

Dish Network Orders 200 Propane-Powered F-250 Vans

Roush CleanTech announced an order for 200 Ford propane autogas-fueled F-250 vans from satellite TV stalwart Dish Network at the Work Truck Show in Indianapolis – and revealed its new Ford F-550 chassis cab with Green Alternative Systems (GAS). It took the Dish Network more than a year to investigate all the alternative fuel options […]

 

Fisker Automotive Loses its Founder Over Strategy Disagreements

Henrik Fisker, co-founder and executive chairman of luxury, extended range electric carmaker Fisker Automotive, has left his company. In a statement, he said he’s leaving the company bearing his name over disagreements with executives over the company’s business strategy. The announcement was not good news for a carmaker that’s been going through a wave of […]

 

Ford Responds to Cleaner Fleet Demands, Increases

As demand rises for efficient fleets, Ford is increasing the amount of trucks and vans it offers that run on compressed natural gas and propane. Ford reports that since 2009, there has been more than a 350% increase in commercial vehicles sold with factory-prepped engines for CNG/LPG.