Strong Luxury Vehicle Sales in December 2021 Drive Average New-Vehicle Prices Further into Record Territory, According to Kelley Blue Book

Jan 14, 2022

— Luxury vehicle sales comprised 18.4% of total sales in December 2021, pushing average transaction prices higher.
— Incentives fell to the lowest level on record, averaging only 3.9% of average transaction price.
— In December 2021, Tesla and General Motors delivered the largest year-over-year price gains.


Estimated reading time: 7 minutes


New-vehicle average transaction prices (ATPs) increased further into record territory in December 2021 to reach $47,077, according to new data released today by Kelley Blue Book. Prices are sharply elevated from last year, up nearly 14% ($5,742) from December 2020 and up 1.7% ($808) month over month. New-vehicle inventory levels remain tight, and with sufficient consumer demand, dealers continue to hold prices at or above the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP).

Kelley Blue Book Logo. (PRNewsFoto/Kelley Blue Book)

While prices were at record highs last month, the sales pace remained historically slow. However, sales volume edged up to 1,219,034 units in December 2021, after six months of declines and hitting the year’s all-time low in November.

“December typically is the best month for luxury vehicle sales, and 2021 followed that trend in a big way,” said Kayla Reynolds, analyst for Cox Automotive. “The result was another record in overall average transaction prices, completely driven in December by the increase in luxury vehicle sales.” 

Luxury vehicle sales, which normally increase in November and December, comprised 18.4% of total sales in December 2021, helping to drive ATPs higher. For comparison, luxury sales comprised only 16.9% of the market six months ago in June, and five years ago in December 2016, luxury sales accounted for only 15.5% of the U.S. market. In December 2021, the average luxury buyer paid $64,864 for a new vehicle, a record-setting sum more than $1,300 above sticker price. For comparison, luxury vehicles were selling for more than $3,000 under MSRP one year ago.

The average price paid for a new non-luxury vehicle last month was $43,072, slightly down from the record high set in November 2021 but still more than $900 over sticker. For each of the last six months, the average price paid by consumers was above the MSRP.

New-vehicle transaction prices continue to track higher in part because more affordable sedans are taking a smaller share of the market. In December 2021, cars ($42,460 ATP) on average were more affordable than new SUVs ($46,075 ATP), trucks ($55,049 ATP), and vans ($46,908 ATP). However, market share for cars reached one of the lowest levels ever at 22.7%. In comparison, car share in December 2018 was nearly 30%. Cars also had higher incentives at 4.5% in December 2021, expressed as a percentage of ATP. Overall, industry incentives fell to a record low in December 2021, averaging only 3.9%.

Manufacturer**December
2021
Transaction
Price (Avg.)*
November
2021
Transaction
Price (Avg.)*
December
2020
Transaction
Price (Avg.)*
Percent
Change
November
2021 to
December
2021*
Percent
Change
December
2020 to
December
2021
BMW$61,690$61,470$59,1510.4%4.3%
Daimler$73,678$73,410$63,4100.4%16.2%
Ford Motor Company$51,210$50,455$47,1671.5%8.6%
Geeley Auto Group$57,630$57,361$50,7260.5%13.6%
General Motors$53,580$53,436$44,6680.3%20.0%
Honda Motor Company$36,153$35,790$30,7991.0%17.4%
Hyundai Motor Group$35,531$35,778$30,804-0.7%15.3%
Mazda Motor Corporation$32,451$33,698$30,246-3.7%7.3%
Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance$34,814$33,974$30,6172.5%13.7%
Rivian$75,914$78,763-3.6%
Stellantis$52,404$52,538$44,693-0.3%17.3%
Subaru Corporation$35,231$35,411$32,087-0.5%9.8%
Tata Motors$90,795$89,822$82,2121.1%10.4%
Tesla Motors$64,949$55,537$54,05616.9%20.2%
Toyota Motor Corporation$40,101$39,864$37,1430.6%8.0%
Volkswagen Group$50,680$48,115$46,8485.3%8.2%
Industry$ 47,077$ 46,269$ 41,3351.7%13.9%
*Kelley Blue Book average transaction prices do not include applied consumer incentives**Manufacturers included has been updated
MakeDecember
2021
Transaction
Price (Avg.)*
November
2021
Transaction
Price (Avg.)*
December
2020
Transaction
Price (Avg.)*
Percent
Change
November
2021 to
December
2021*
Percent
Change
December
2020 to
December
2021
Acura$51,961$50,435$43,6083.0%19.2%
Alfa Romeo$52,386$49,872$45,5015.0%15.1%
Audi$64,328$60,378$58,6566.5%9.7%
BMW$63,948$63,321$60,7381.0%5.3%
Buick$40,139$40,110$34,2950.1%17.0%
Cadillac$79,182$70,811$63,36611.8%25.0%
Chevrolet$49,308$50,562$41,239-2.5%19.6%
Chrysler$45,910$46,644$41,450-1.6%10.8%
Dodge$47,028$46,140$41,0191.9%14.6%
Fiat$27,467$26,878$29,8952.2%-8.1%
Ford$50,698$49,890$47,9691.6%5.7%
Genesis$59,446$59,161$59,4580.5%0.0%
GMC$61,448$62,863$54,558-2.3%12.6%
Honda$34,297$33,976$30,4190.9%12.7%
Hyundai$34,833$34,436$30,3431.2%14.8%
Infiniti$58,225$58,347$48,311-0.2%20.5%
Jaguar$69,874$69,918$64,155-0.1%8.9%
Jeep$48,482$49,786$41,137-2.6%17.9%
Kia$33,804$34,510$29,837-2.0%13.3%
Land Rover$93,049$91,381$83,3101.8%11.7%
Lexus$55,038$54,119$51,0151.7%7.9%
Lincoln$64,925$63,730$61,7891.9%5.1%
Mazda$32,451$33,698$30,483-3.7%6.5%
Mercedes-Benz$73,678$73,410$63,8640.4%15.4%
Mini$36,875$36,220$33,2571.8%10.9%
Mitsubishi$30,576$29,475$22,9693.7%33.1%
Nissan$33,906$33,234$29,6662.0%14.3%
Polestar$61,784$62,152-0.6%
Porsche$98,357$96,484$105,0101.9%-6.3%
Ram$60,279$58,690$54,0482.7%11.5%
Rivian$75,914$78,763-3.6%
Subaru$35,231$35,411$32,178-0.5%9.5%
Tesla$64,949$55,537$57,34916.9%13.3%
Toyota$37,708$37,852$34,317-0.4%9.9%
Volkswagen$35,796$35,569$31,0080.6%15.4%
Industry$47,077$46,269$41,3351.7%13.9%
*Kelley Blue Book average transaction prices do not include applied consumer incentives
Segment December
2021
Transaction
Price (Avg.)*
November
2021
Transaction
Price (Avg.)*
December
2020
Transaction
Price (Avg.)*
Percent
Change
November
2021 to
December
2021*
Percent
Change
December
2020 to
December
2021
Compact Car$25,954$25,614$22,1791.3%17.0%
Compact SUV/Crossover$33,414$33,345$30,2450.2%10.5%
Electric Vehicle$63,821$56,055$53,81113.9%18.6%
Entry-level Luxury Car$50,496$51,381$46,103-1.7%9.5%
Full-size Car$43,112$42,742$38,6790.9%11.5%
Full-size Pickup Truck$60,022$58,975$53,5111.8%12.2%
Full-size SUV/Crossover$72,073$71,948$68,3410.2%5.5%
High Performance Car$106,596$108,490$100,870-1.7%5.7%
High-end Luxury Car$124,099$120,205$101,2933.2%22.5%
Hybrid/Alternative Energy Car$33,162$33,374$29,414-0.6%12.7%
Luxury Car$70,420$74,036$67,765-4.9%3.9%
Luxury Compact SUV/Crossover$52,757$52,185$47,5331.1%11.0%
Luxury Full-size SUV/Crossover$102,339$101,357$95,6791.0%7.0%
Luxury Mid-size SUV/Crossover$69,719$67,492$63,8163.3%9.2%
Luxury Subcompact SUV/Crossover$45,175$44,066$40,0492.5%12.8%
Mid-size Car$31,511$31,645$27,515-0.4%14.5%
Mid-size Pickup Truck$41,311$41,343$37,457-0.1%10.3%
Mid-size SUV/Crossover$45,487$45,679$41,477-0.4%9.7%
Minivan$45,574$45,903$40,084-0.7%13.7%
Small/Mid-size Pickup Truck$28,911$29,384-1.6%
Sports Car$45,487$46,368$42,942-1.9%5.9%
Subcompact Car$23,156$21,915$18,8425.7%22.9%
Subcompact SUV/Crossover$29,646$29,641$25,8740.0%14.6%
Van$48,018$46,908$41,5772.4%15.5%
Industry$ 47,077$ 46,269$ 41,3351.7%13.9%
*Kelley Blue Book average transaction prices do not include applied consumer incentives

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About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)
Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource®, is the vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. Each week the company provides market-reflective values on its top-rated website KBB.com, including its famous Blue Book® Trade-In Values and Kelley Blue Book® Price Advisor tool, which provides a range for what consumers can reasonably expect to pay for a vehicle in their area. Car owners looking to sell immediately can also get a redeemable, transaction-ready offer with Kelley Blue BookSM Instant Cash Offer. The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies, and governmental agencies. Kelley Blue Book is a Cox Automotive brand.

About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive Inc. makes buying, selling, owning and using vehicles easier for everyone. The global company’s more than 27,000 team members and family of brands, including Autotrader®, Dealer.com®, Dealertrack®, Dickinson Fleet Services, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, NextGear Capital®, VinSolutions®, vAuto® and Xtime®, are passionate about helping millions of car shoppers, 40,000 auto dealer clients across five continents and many others throughout the automotive industry thrive for generations to come. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately-owned, Atlanta-based company with annual revenues of nearly $20 billion. www.coxautoinc.com

SOURCE Kelley Blue BookFor further information: Media Contacts: Brenna Buehler Kelley Blue Book, 949-473-6595, brenna.buehler@coxautoinc.com; Mark Schirmer, Cox Automotive, 734-883-6346, mark.schirmer@coxautoinc.com

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