FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Vincentric’s 2008 Best Fleet Value awards announced;
GM and Toyota Product Lines Shine
BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Michigan – March 21, 2008 – Vincentric’s 2008 Best Fleet Value in America™ awards were announced today, with the strong fleet product line from General Motors bringing home 8 awards, whileToyota followed with 6 winning vehicles. Ford and Chrysler showed strong fleet products as well, with each organization bringing home 4 awards. New for 2008 were the Best Hybrid Fleet Value awards, earned by the Toyota Prius in the hybrid car segment and the Ford Escape Hybrid in the truck/SUV segment.
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 2008 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.
“Our awards look to provide guidance to all types of fleet buyers, including small business fleets, executive fleets, and high-volume managed fleets. By segmenting awards into entry level, mid-level, and premium level vehicles buyers have guidance for a broad range of fleet vehicles”, stated David Wurster, President of Vincentric. “In addition, by using twelve different mileage/lifecycle timeframe scenarios we’ve taken into account a wide variety of driving and ownership patterns.”
The vehicle segments and the winners of Vincentric’s Best Fleet Value in America™ awards for the 2008 model year are listed below. In addition, a review of each winner and further information about the study is available at www.vincentric.com.
2008 Winners of Vincentric’s Best Fleet Value in America™
Passenger Cars:
- Subcompact, Entry Level: Toyota Yaris Base Hatchback
- Compact, Entry Level: Ford Focus S Sedan
- Compact, Mid Level: Subaru Legacy Base Sedan
- Compact, Premium: Saab 9-3 Base Sedan
- Mid-Size, Entry Level: Pontiac G6 Special Value Sedan
- Mid-Size, Mid Level: Toyota Camry CE Sedan
- Mid-Size, Premium: Lincoln MKZ Sedan
- Large, Mid Level: Chevrolet Impala LS Sedan
- Large, Premium: Cadillac DTS Sedan
- Hybrid, Car: Toyota Prius Standard Hatchback
- Prestige: Cadillac XLR Platinum Edition
- Wagon, Entry Level: Dodge Caliber SE Hatchback
- Wagon, Mid Level: Subaru Outback 2.5i Basic Wagon
- Wagon, Premium: Audi A4 2.0T Avant Wagon Quattro
SUVs and Crossovers:
- Crossover, Entry Level: Jeep Compass Sport FWD
- Crossover, Mid Level: Toyota Rav4 Base 2WD 4cyl
- Crossover, Premium: Mercedes-Benz R Class R320 CDI
- SUV, Entry Level: Jeep Patriot Sport FWD
- SUV, Mid Level: Nissan Pathfinder S 2WD
- SUV, Premium: Mercedes-Benz M Class ML320 CDI
- Hybrid, SUV/Crossover: Ford Escape Hybrid Utility FWD
Pickup Trucks:
- Compact Pickup: Toyota Tacoma Base Reg Cab 2WD
- Full Size Pickup: Chevrolet Silverado 1500/GMC Sierra 1500 Work Truck Reg Cab 2WD 119
- Heavy Duty 3/4 Ton Pickup: Dodge Ram 2500 ST Reg Cab 2WD
- Heavy Duty 1 Ton Pickup: Chevrolet Silverado 3500/GMC Sierra 3500 Work Truck Reg Cab 2WD SRW
Vans:
- Full Size Cargo Van: Chevrolet Express Cargo G1500 Cargo SWB
- Full Size Passenger Van: Ford E150 Vans XL Wagon
- Mini Van: Toyota Sienna CE Wagon 7 Pass FWD
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 General Motors, Volkswagen, Audi of America, Volkswagen of America, Ford Motor Company, 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.
This press release is provided for editorial use only. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of Vincentric LLC.
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CONTACT:
Dave Freed
Managing Partner
952-891-1054
dave.freed@vincentric.com