The light vehicle average transaction price in May was $33,261, Kelley Blue Book announced. That is a 2.6 percent increase, or $847, from the same month in 2016 and a 0.8 percent decrease from April of 2017.
“Transaction prices continue to climb at a steady rate, driven by the weakening sales mix of cars which is estimated at 38 percent in May, down from 41 percent one year ago,” said Tim Fleming, analyst for Kelley Blue Book. “Compact SUVs, the most popular segment in terms of sales, saw an increase of 2 percent year-over-year and clearly remain in very high demand. There are signs, however, of discounts in SUV segments that are growing quickly, including subcompact and luxury SUVs, which are likely helping to fuel those segments’ double-digit sales growth this year.”