CAMPBELL, CA – www.IntelliChoice.com, a consumer automotive data resource, has announced the winners of the seventh annual ranking of certified pre-owned (CPO) manufacturer sponsored programs. For the fifth consecutive year, Jaguar was selected as the best Luxury program and Volkswagen received its second recognition from IntelliChoice.com for best Non-Luxury program. The winners were honored at the 2005 National Remarketing Conference & Used Car Expo, in Orlando, Fla.
IntelliChoice.com initiated a certified pre-owned awards program seven years ago in 1999 due to the growth of the industry and consumer demand for comprehensive analysis. IntelliChoice.com estimates 1.6 million CPO vehicles will be sold in 2005, equating to roughly 10 percent of the total automotive sales market. Most major automakers now have a CPO program and IntelliChoice.com investigates and analyzes 29 different manufacturer programs.
"Certified pre-owned vehicle sales continue to gain momentum and have secured a significant and valuable place in the automotive landscape," said James Bell, publisher of IntelliChoice.com.
The IntelliChoice.com Best Certified Pre-Owned Awards are presented in the Luxury and Non-Luxury classes. Programs are rated on a set of criteria that consumers identify as having the most value such as extended manufacturer warranties, title verification, certification inspection process, and roadside assistance, in addition to special financing and return exchange policies. The top five rated programs in each class for 2006 are:
Top certified pre-owned programs by class:
Luxury:
Jaguar
Warranties and manufacturer inspections are the most important considerations cited by consumers when shopping for a CPO vehicle. In the Luxury class, Jaguar took top honors with the Best Warranty accolade while Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Infiniti tied for No. 1 in the Best Inspection category. In the Non-Luxury class, Mazda ranked first with the Best Warranty and Nissan took the Best Inspection honor.
In addition to Jaguar and Volkswagen, other notable performances included Cadillac, which stayed in the top five for the second year, coming in third for best overall program in the Luxury class. In Non-Luxury, Mazda beat out Honda for second place, and Toyota joined the list for the first time.
