FCA Wins, Volkswagen Loses in Average New Car Price During September

Aaron Cole
by Aaron Cole

The average transaction price for a new car edged up slightly August to September from $33,563 to $33,730, researchers at Kelley Blue Book said Thursday.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles posted the largest gain over the same month last year, as the automaker increased its average transaction price 4.1 percent to $34,809. Unsurprisingly, Volkswagen was the only major automaker to post a loss in the report, losing 1.6 percent from August to September this year, and 0.1 percent from September 2014.

Ford, General Motors and Kia/Hyundai all posted gains over 3 percent, year-over-year. Overall, the industry average for new car transaction prices rose 2 percent from September 2014 to September 2015. Toyota was the other automaker to fall below the industry average for gains. Its average transaction price increased by only 0.6 percent.

Nearly all segments of luxury cars fell over the past year, according to KBB. The average transaction price for an entry-level luxury car dipped 2.1 percent to $39,626 from September 2014, and the average transaction price for a luxury mid-size SUV dropped by nearly 4 percent to $52,228. The only luxury car segment that didn’t fall were luxury compact crossovers.

The average transaction price for a full-size pickup increased by more than 6 percent to $46,046 in September (further proving they can charge whatever they want for those things). The other big gainer for average transaction price was minivans, which increased by nearly 5 percent to $33,150.

The average price paid for a new electric car in September was $35,269, down 2.1 percent from last year. A new hybrid, on average, cost $25,462 in September, which was down 1.1 percent from last year.

According to Akshay Anand, an analyst for Kelley Blue Book, Volvo’s XC90 was the biggest gainer in the industry, by far.

“Volvo’s XC90 transaction prices have jumped an astonishing 41 percent year-over-year, which is by far the best mark for any vehicle, regardless of brand,” Anand in a statement.

Aaron Cole
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  • Deanst Deanst on Oct 01, 2015

    Not sure about the math on this one - how is everyone except VW and Toyota above the industry average? Were prices at smaller manufacturers like BMW and Mercedes down dramatically?

  • Scoutdude Scoutdude on Oct 01, 2015

    The telling thing on VW prices will be Oct and beyond, the scandal broke too late in Sep to have as big of an impact as it could in Oct. Truck prices up 6% hmm, must be because Ford is piling the discounts on the Aluminum F150, because it is "selling so poorly". It certainly can't be because buyers are flocking to the higher trim levels of the F150, Ford is being really stingy with any discounts on them and that allows GM and Chrysler to be less generous with their discounts.

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    • Highdesertcat Highdesertcat on Oct 01, 2015

      Lorenzo, I think you re right. But the bottom line is what matters. And Ford clinched it. Higher transaction prices. Greater profit margins. I'm not a Ford fan, but regardless of the reasons, Ford has a hot product in the aluminum F150. If they prudently reduce supply, they will continue to reap the benefits of higher demand. Enough of a threat to get GM to tout their trucks are tough as steel, as if anyone with half a brain would let that affect their buying decision if they wanted an aluminum body. And in 2017 or 2018 when GM can secure enough aluminum alloy to make their truck bodies from aluminum, what is GM going to say? We copied the F150? Most buyers would acknowledge GM as a copy cat since Ford was the first to use aluminum. Aluminum alloy is one way to get closer to CAFE standards by reducing total vehicle weight. The new metallurgy and alloys are truly amazing. Light, dense and strong. I wonder what a Carbon Fiber or Kevlar body would save in weight?

  • Alan Well, it will take 30 years to fix Nissan up after the Renault Alliance reduced Nissan to a paltry mess.I think Nissan will eventually improve.
  • Alan This will be overpriced for what it offers.I think the "Western" auto manufacturers rip off the consumer with the Thai and Chinese made vehicles.A Chinese made Model 3 in Australia is over $70k AUD(for 1995 $45k USD) which is far more expensive than a similar Chinesium EV of equal or better quality and loaded with goodies.Chinese pickups are $20k to $30k cheaper than Thai built pickups from Ford and the Japanese brands. Who's ripping who off?
  • Alan Years ago Jack Baruth held a "competition" for a piece from the B&B on the oddest pickup story (or something like that). I think 5 people were awarded the prizes.I never received mine, something about being in Australia. If TTAC is global how do you offer prizes to those overseas or are we omitted on the sly from competing?In the end I lost significant respect for Baruth.
  • Alan My view is there are good vehicles from most manufacturers that are worth looking at second hand.I can tell you I don't recommend anything from the Chrysler/Jeep/Fiat/etc gene pool. Toyotas are overly expensive second hand for what they offer, but they seem to be reliable enough.I have a friend who swears by secondhand Subarus and so far he seems to not have had too many issue.As Lou stated many utes, pickups and real SUVs (4x4) seem quite good.
  • 28-Cars-Later So is there some kind of undiagnosed disease where every rando thinks their POS is actually valuable?83K miles Ok.new valve cover gasket.Eh, it happens with age. spark plugsOkay, we probably had to be kewl and put in aftermarket iridium plugs, because EVO.new catalytic converterUh, yeah that's bad at 80Kish. Auto tranny failing. From the ad: the SST fails in one of the following ways:Clutch slip has turned into; multiple codes being thrown, shifting a gear or 2 in manual mode (2-3 or 2-4), and limp mode.Codes include: P2733 P2809 P183D P1871Ok that's really bad. So between this and the cat it suggests to me someone jacked up the car real good hooning it, because EVO, and since its not a Toyota it doesn't respond well to hard abuse over time.$20,000, what? Pesos? Zimbabwe Dollars?Try $2,000 USD pal. You're fracked dude, park it in da hood and leave the keys in it.BONUS: Comment in the ad: GLWS but I highly doubt you get any action on this car what so ever at that price with the SST on its way out. That trans can be $10k + to repair.
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