KBB lists its "most researched" new cars and trucks in 2009

Kelley Blue Book (KBB) strained the data from its voluminous cache to come up with the year's 20 most researched cars, and the five brands that got the most attention. This will probably come as a surprise to precisely none of our readers, but Honda and Toyota dominated the upper reaches of the list. Together they made up all of the top five and nine of the top ten -- Nissan's Altima squeezed into ninth.The secondary ten provided more model mix, with three Fords and two Chevrolets making up the domestic squad. Midsize cars also made a return to buyers' attentions, after last year's list was overrun by fuel sippers.

PRESS RELEASE
Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com Names Most-Researched New Vehicles for 2009, Brands With Greatest Share of Market Interest This Year

Chevy Equinox and Camaro, Ford Fusion, Lexus RX 350 Jump into 2009's Top 20 Most-Researched New Cars

IRVINE, Calif., Dec. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Kelley Blue Book, the leading provider of new and used car information, today announces the most-researched new vehicles of 2009 on the company's top-rated Web site, www.kbb.com. In addition, Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com reveals the top five brands with the greatest share of market interest for 2009.

This year marks the fourth consecutive year that Kelley Blue Book saw increased visitation to its Web site, with nearly 180 million visits to kbb.com in 2009. Because kbb.com is one of the most-trafficked automotive research sites, visitation to specific vehicles has become a leading indicator of sales patterns for manufacturers.

Kbb.com's Top 20 Most-Researched New Vehicles of 2009
1. Honda Accord
2. Honda Civic
3. Toyota Camry
4. Honda CR-V
5. Toyota Corolla
6. Toyota RAV4
7. Toyota Highlander
8. Toyota Prius
9. Nissan Altima
10. Honda Pilot
11. Ford Escape
12. Chevrolet Camaro
13. Honda Odyssey
14. Ford Fusion
15. Mazda3
16. Ford Mustang
17. Volkswagen Jetta
18. Toyota Sienna
19. Lexus RX 350
20. Chevrolet Equinox

The Honda Civic, Honda Accord and Toyota Camry (in varying orders each year) have been the top three most-researched new-vehicles on kbb.com each year since 2004. However, many vehicles made noteworthy jumps into the top 20 most-researched new-vehicles for 2009 that were not on the list in 2008. Chevrolet's all-new redesigned Equinox and Camaro models both grace this year's list for the first time. Also new to this year's top 20 are the recently revamped Lexus RX 350 and the popular, fast-selling Ford Fusion.

The stabilization in gas prices for 2009 has indicated a trend away from smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles over the past year, and thus some popular small cars that were among the most-researched in 2008 have fallen off the list for 2009. Subcompact cars like the Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit, along with the compact MINI Cooper, were among the most-researched new cars last year, but do not hold court among the most-researched models this year. In addition, Chevy's Malibu, redesigned for the 2008 model-year and featured on last year's 'most-researched' list, has seen some of its popularity fade over the past year, no longer listing among the top 20 most-researched new cars of 2009.

"The site traffic on Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com demonstrates what is on the minds of today's new-car shoppers, especially when examining the most-researched new-vehicles of 2009," said James Bell, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com. "Declined interest in smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles and increased popularity in attractive, recently redesigned models is an accurate reflection of the marketplace in 2009. We also see that consumers are reacting well to new models and redesigns from domestic manufacturers like Chevy and Ford, which bodes well for their future sales numbers."

(Source: Kelly Blue Book)

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Honda Accord Crosstour officially confirmed for Fall 2009 as 2010 model

Honda has finally officially confirmed what we've known for some time now – the Japanese automaker will gain a new genre-crossing model called Accord Crosstour, with sales earmarked to begin this fall as a 2010 model.Presumably, by calling it an "Accord Crosstour," Honda will also be able to neatly fold in the rakish new crossover/wagon/hatchback model's sales figures into that of the Accord upon which it is based – all the better to take on Toyota's Camry at the top of the sales charts. Check out Honda's official press release below:

PRESS RELEASE:All-new Honda Accord Crosstour to Arrive in Fall 2009-Torrance, CA

An all-new crossover vehicle based on the award-winning Honda Accord will go on-sale in the fall of 2009 as the "Accord Crosstour," American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today. This new addition to the Honda lineup will be sold as a 2010 model. Additional information will be announced later in the year.For more information about all Honda vehicles, please visit http://www.hondanews.com/. Consumer information is available at www.honda.com.