Passenger Cars More Interesting Than SUV's

    IRVINE, Calif.--April 18, 2002--Passenger cars for the second month in a row surpassed sports utility vehicles in popularity in March among auto-shoppers visiting the Kelley Blue Book Internet site, www.kbb.com, the nation's number one automotive Web site. In total, more than 25 million vehicle pricing reports were generated by consumers on kbb.com last month.
    Of the 50 top new cars for which pricing reports were issued to kbb.com visitors in February and March, 40 percent were for passenger cars, compared to 32 percent in January. In March, seven of the 10 most popular vehicles on kbb.com were passenger cars, compared to six in the prior two months.
    In March, the Honda Accord continued to rank No. 1 in popularity among passenger cars with kbb.com visitors. The Ford Explorer was the leader in the SUV category during the same time period, and the Chevrolet/GMC Silverado/Sierra pickups topped the truck category.

    About Kelley Blue Book:

    Based in Irvine, California, Kelley Blue Book is relied on by both consumers and the automotive industry as the trusted resource for car-buying research and information. The company is currently celebrating its 75th anniversary. Its Web site, kbb.com, is the number one automotive site in the nation, according to Jupiter Media Metrix and Nielsen//Net Ratings. It attracts over 4 million unique visitors, generating nearly 30 million pricing reports per month. For the fourth year in a row, kbb.com is also the most visited site by consumers who go on to buy new and used vehicles, according to J.D. Power and Associates.
    The complete list of the 50 most popular cars on kbb.com in March follows:

        
 1    Chevrolet / GMC         Pickups (Silverado & Sierra)
 2    Ford                    Pickups (F Series)
 3    Honda                   Accord
 4    Honda                   Civic
 5    Toyota                  Camry
 6    BMW                     3 Series
 7    Nissan                  Altima
 8    Ford                    Explorer
 9    Toyota                  Corolla
 10   Volkswagen              Jetta
 11   Chevrolet / GMC         Tahoe / Yukon
 12   Honda                   Odyssey
 13   Volkswagen              Passat
 14   Toyota                  Tacoma
 15   Nissan                  350Z
 16   Dodge                   Ram Pickups
 17   Toyota                  Highlander
 18   Chrysler / Dodge        Voyager / Caravan
 19   Honda                   CR-V
 20   Nissan                  Maxima
 21   Ford                    Escape
 22   Chevrolet               TrailBlazer
 23   Ford                    Mustang
 24   Mercedes-Benz           S-Class
 25   Acura                   TL
 26   BMW                     5 Series
 27   Mercedes-Benz           C-Class
 28   Jeep                    Grand Cherokee
 29   Audi                    A4
 30   Mitsubishi              Eclipse
 31   Toyota                  Matrix
 32   Toyota                  4Runner
 33   Acura                   MDX
 34   Ford                    Focus
 35   Jeep                    Liberty
 36   Toyota                  Tundra
 37   Hyundai                 Santa Fe
 38   Nissan                  Xterra
 39   Toyota                  Sequoia
 40   Chevrolet / GMC         S10 / Sonoma
 41   Subaru                  Impreza
 42   Dodge                   Dakota Pickups
 43   Ford                    Ranger
 44   Toyota                  RAV4
 45   BMW                     X5
 46   Nissan                  Sentra
 47   Dodge                   Durango
 48   Porsche                 911
 49   Ford                    Expedition
 50   Nissan                  Frontier