CAMPBELL, Calif. — IntelliChoice announced the results of its first annual, mid-year “Cost of Ownership” analysis, IntelliChoice “Best Bets.” IntelliChoice identified vehicles from the forthcoming model year that demonstrate the highest potential for achieving outstanding value over time.
“Best Bet” accolades were awarded to nineteen models from thirteen manufacturers, with Audi, Chevrolet and Volvo leading the pack with three models selected. To determine the 2012 Best Bets, each new-vehicle model was compared to the currently available same-model-year vehicles in its respective competitive set.
The basis for expected ownership costs includes current assumptions for depreciation, costs for fuel, financing, insurance, repairs and maintenance, as well as state fees for all applicable 2012 model year competitors.
“As ‘Best Bets,’ each of these vehicles stand above their peers and can be purchased with confidence,” said Tyler Schulze, general manager. “As manufacturers have moved up the release dates for some new model-year vehicles, we felt it was important to provide consumers with a mid-year update of our cost of ownership analysis.”
When reviewing potential winners, IntelliChoice analyzes data from auto manufacturers, the U.S. government and third-party data resources to estimate the actual costs of ownership for new vehicles over a five-year period, according to the company. It then assigns a value rating to each vehicle and compares that rating to the competitive set in each class.
“Initial purchase price is an important factor, but there are many other data points to consider when evaluating total cost of ownership over several years,” said Eric Anderson, ownership cost supervisor. “We constantly aggregate and analyze the data on more than 1,800 new-vehicle models available in the United States, empowering consumers to make educated purchasing decisions.”
IntelliChoice’s “Best Bets” for the 2012 model year are:
