Honda and Lexus Take Top Prizes in Edmunds.com's Best Retained Value Awards
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — April 7, 2011 — Honda and Lexus took home the top prizes in Edmunds.com's inaugural Best Retained Value Awards, which recognize the brands and new car models that have the highest projected residual value after five years, expressed as a percentage of their True Market Value® (TMV®).
Honda won the 2011 brand award for non-luxury makes, while Lexus took home the award for luxury brands. Edmunds.com found that Honda's average projected retained value is 50.4%, while Lexus' average projected retained value is 48.1%. In each case, the award was based on the average five-year retained value of the carmaker's 2011 models that launched prior to the end of 2010.
Edmunds.com also named winners in 23 model-level categories. Both Honda and Lexus were well-represented at the model level, with each carmaker taking home four more awards. A full list of the model-level level winners can be found in Appendix I at the end of this release.
"A reliable assessment of a vehicle's resale value can be a critical piece of information for consumers in the car-buying process," said Danny Zhou, senior analyst at Edmunds.com. "Car shoppers should consider these award winners to help them choose a car with high retained value so they can maximize its worth at trade-in or sale. And for consumers who lease, selecting a car with strong resale value is just as important, because resale value is a key factor in determining the monthly lease payment."
Edmunds.com also encourages car buyers to keep the vehicle's retained value in mind when considering trims and options. Power sunroof, leather seats, and DVD entertainment systems are all features known to improve a car's long-term value. Unfortunately, Edmunds.com found that added safety features don't typically boost a car's retained value. More details about the best options for maximizing a car's retained value are available on Edmunds.com
All model year 2011 vehicles that were launched by the end of 2010 and that had unit sales in February 2011 that were at least 20 percent of the average unit sales for the models in its segment were eligible for this year's model-level Best Retained Value Awards. Edmunds determined each model's competitive segment based on its body type and the sales-weighted average MSRP of all available styles (excluding destination charges) of that model's body type. All makes that had over 100,000 unit sales in 2010 were eligible for this year's brand-level Best Retained Value Awards.
The Best Retained Value Awards will be given annually. They join Edmunds.com's other prestigious awards, including the annual True Cost to Own® (TCO®) Awards, the Breakthrough Technology Award and the Green Car Breakthrough Award.
For more information, please visit Edmunds.com's Best Retained Value Awards page at http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/best-retained-value-cars.html.
APPENDIX I2011 Edmunds.com Best Retained Value Awards
Model-Level Winners
| Category | Year | Make | Model | ^Retained Value |
| *Sedan Under $20,000 | 2011 | Honda | Civic | 51.9% |
| *Sedan Under $20,000 | 2011 | Mazda | MAZDA3 | 51.9% |
| Sedan $20K-$30K | 2011 | Honda | Accord | 48.2% |
| *Sedan $30K-$40K | 2011 | Acura | TL | 48.0% |
| *Sedan $30K-$40K | 2011 | Acura | TSX | 48.0% |
| Sedan Over $40K | 2011 | Lexus | GS 350 | 45.8% |
| Coupe Under $25,000 | 2011 | MINI | Cooper | 54.2% |
| Coupe $25K-$35K | 2011 | Ford | Mustang | 48.8% |
| Coupe $35K-$45K | 2011 | Infiniti | G Coupe | 46.6% |
| Coupe Over $45,000 | 2011 | Ford | Shelby GT500 | 48.1% |
| Convertible Under $35,000 | 2011 | MINI | Cooper | 54.4% |
| Convertible $35K-$45K | 2011 | Lexus | IS 250 C | 48.9% |
| Convertible Over $45,000 | 2011 | Chevrolet | Corvette | 47.3% |
| SUV Under $25,000 | 2011 | Honda | CR-V | 54.4% |
| SUV $25K-$35K | 2011 | Jeep | Wrangler | 53.5% |
| SUV $35K-$45K | 2011 | Lexus | RX 350 | 49.6% |
| SUV Over $45,000 | 2011 | Lexus | GX 460 | 47.8% |
| Wagon Under $25,000 | 2011 | Scion | xB | 49.6% |
| Wagon $25K-$35K | 2011 | MINI | Cooper Countryman | 52.5% |
| Wagon Over $35,000 | 2011 | Audi | A4 | 45.4% |
| Hybrid | 2011 | Toyota | Prius | 49.7% |
| Compact Truck | 2011 | Toyota | Tacoma | 57.1% |
| Large Heavy Duty Truck | 2011 | Ford | F-350 Super Duty | 50.2% |
| Large Light Duty Truck | 2011 | Toyota | Tundra | 50.0% |
| Vans | 2011 | Honda | Odyssey | 49.8% |
^ — Retained Value is the projected residual value after five years, expressed as a percentage of the True Market Value® (TMV®)
* Denotes first-place tie in category
About Edmunds (http://www.edmunds.com/help/about/index.html)
Edmunds publishes Web sites that empower, engage and educate automotive consumers, enthusiasts and insiders. Edmunds.com, the premier online resource for automotive information, launched in 1995 as the first automotive information Web site and hosts the most established automotive community online. Its mobile site, accessible from any smartphone at www.edmunds.com, makes car pricing and other research tools available for car shoppers at dealerships and otherwise on the go. InsideLine.com is the most-read automotive enthusiast Web site. Its mobile site, accessible from any smartphone at www.insideline.com, features the wireless Web's highest quality car photos and videos. AutoObserver.com provides insightful automotive industry commentary and analysis. Edmunds is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains a satellite office in suburban Detroit. Follow Edmunds.com on Twitter@edmunds and fan Edmunds.com on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/edmunds.
