FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Vincentric’s Best Fleet Value awards announced; GM, Toyota, and Ford have strong showings
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Michigan – March 15, 2007 – Vincentric’s Best Fleet Value in America™ awards were announced today, with General Motors, Toyota, and Ford Motor Co. brands each taking top honors in 7 of the 30 vehicle segments. The Chrysler Group also had a strong showing, winning four different categories. Due to increased availability, hybrid vehicles were eligible for the fleet awards this year, with the Toyota Prius hybrid and the Mercury Mariner hybrid winning awards.
To determine Vincentric’s Best Fleet Value in America™ awards, Vincentric used its ongoing, comprehensive analysis of fleet lifecycle costs to identify the best fleet values in the industry. The company measured 8 cost factors for over 2,000 vehicle configurations in the 2007 model year, with twelve different mileage/lifecycle timeframe scenarios used in each of the 50 states plus DC. The resulting 9,000,000+ lifecycle cost measurements were then reviewed to determine the winning vehicles.
The eight cost factors that determined overall lifecycle costs were depreciation, fuel, insurance, opportunity cost, financing, maintenance, taxes and state fees, and repairs. These costs were integrated with the Vincentric Fleet Price, which estimates the acquisition cost for each vehicle in the study.
“The variety of winning brands shows that fleet buyers are justified in looking at multiple manufacturers when reviewing their fleet needs. Our winning vehicles provide great value in a wide range of lifecycle scenarios”, stated David Wurster, President of Vincentric. “Annual mileage was measured ranging from a low of 20,000 miles to a high of 30,000 miles, along with timeframes from 24 to 60 months of ownership.”
The vehicle segments and the winners of Vincentric’s Best Fleet Value in America™ awards for the 2007 model year are listed below. In addition, a review of each winner and further information about the study is available at www.vincentric.com.
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PASSENGER CARS
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| Compact, over $18,000 |
Nissan Sentra 2.0 SL 4D Sedan |
| Compact, under $18,000 |
Saturn ION Level 2 4D Sedan |
| Large |
Chevrolet Impala LS 4D Sedan |
| Luxury |
Volvo S80 3.2 4D Sedan |
| Mid-Size, over $23,000 |
Toyota Prius Touring 4D Hatchback |
| Mid-Size, under $23,000 |
Toyota Prius Base 4D Hatchback |
| Near-Luxury |
Volvo S40 2.4 i4D Sedan |
| Prestige Luxury |
Mercedes-Benz E Class E550 4D Sedan |
| Subcompact, over $17,000 |
Volkswagen New Beetle 2.5 2D Coupe |
| Subcompact, under $17,000 |
Toyota Yaris Base 2D Hatchback |
| Wagon, over $23,000 |
Subaru Outback 2.5i 4D Wagon |
| Wagon, under $23,000 |
Dodge Caliber Base 4D Hatchback |
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SUVs and CROSSOVERS
|
| Compact SUV, over $23,000 |
Mercury Mariner Hybrid 4D Utility 4WD |
| Compact SUV, under $23,000 |
Jeep Patriot Sport 4D Utility FWD |
| Mid-Size SUV, over $30,000 |
Toyota Highlander Sport 4D Utility 4WD |
| Mid-Size SUV, under $30,000 |
Jeep Compass Sport 4D Utility 2WD |
| Large SUV, over $42,000 |
Toyota Sequoia Limited 4D Utility 2WD |
| Large SUV, under $42,000 |
Toyota Sequoia SR5 4D Utility 2WD |
| Crossover, over $29,000 |
Nissan Murano S 4D Utility AWD |
| Crossover, under $29,000 |
Saturn VUE Base 4D Utility FWD |
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PICKUP TRUCKS AND CHASSIS CAB
|
| Compact Pickup |
Toyota Tacoma Base Reg Cab 2WD |
| Full Size Pickup |
Ford F150 XL Reg Cab 2WD 126 |
| Heavy Duty 3/4 Ton Pickup |
Ford F250 XL Reg Cab 2WD |
| Heavy Duty 1 Ton Pickup |
Ford F350 XL Reg Cab 2WD SRW |
| Heavy Duty 1 Ton Chassis Cab |
Chevrolet Silverado C/C Classic 3500 LT Reg Cab 2WD 137 |
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VANS
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| Full Size Cargo Van |
GMC Savana Cargo G1500 Cargo SWB |
| Full Size Passenger Van |
Chevrolet Express G1500 Wagon SWB |
| Mini Cargo Van |
Ford Freestar Van Cargo Van |
| Minivan, over $27,000 |
Chevrolet Uplander LT Wagon |
| Minivan, under $27,000 |
Dodge Caravan SE 4D Wagon |
ABOUT VINCENTRIC
Vincentric provides data, knowledge, and insight to the automotive industry by identifying and applying the many aspects of automotive value. Using Vinbase™, its comprehensive, proprietary cost-of-ownership database, the company measures and analyzes the overall cost of owning and operating vehicles and its impact on the value provided to buyers. Vincentric data is used by organizations such as Yahoo! Autos, Cars.com, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Business Fleet Magazine and Fleet-Central.com as a means of providing automotive insight to their clientele. Vincentric, LLC, is a privately held automotive data compilation and analysis firm headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
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Contact:
Dave Freed
Vincentric, LLC
952-891-1054
dave.freed@vincentric.com
www.vincentric.com