(August 1, 2014) IRVINE, Calif. — The analysts at Kelley Blue Book, kbb.com, today report the estimated average transaction price (ATP) for light vehicles in the United States was $32,556 in July, an increase of $662 (2.1 percent) from July 2013, while dropping $41 from last month.

"Overall, the industry continues to see average transaction prices rise at a solid pace," said Alec Gutierrez, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book. 

"Truck and utility vehicles are the major drivers behind this strength, especially among domestic automakers.  Increasing share of luxury vehicles also has played a role as sales in that segment have led the growth in the overall industry so far this year.  With consumer confidence on the rise in July, shoppers are clearly willing to spend a little extra on the vehicle they want."



Among the domestic manufacturers, Chrysler Group is up 3 percent with help from strong Ram pricing (up 7.7 percent year-over-year).  Chrysler brand also is up 5 percent on excellent Town & Country sales, as well as the recent launch of its 200 model, which is tracking 7.3 percent above this time last year.

Ford dipped slightly this month — down 0.6 percent — on slower sales of its F-150, in preparation for production of the next generation.  Similar to last month, General Motors' average transaction prices bumped up 3.6 percent almost entirely from its truck and full-size SUV lineup, which have all been redesigned in the past year.       

"While Chevrolet Silverado sales are down year-over-year, pricing continues to increase, up 8.5 percent in July," said Tim Fleming, analyst for Kelley Blue Book.  "Also helping bring up the manufacturer's transaction prices, sales of the new Chevrolet Tahoe are up, along with the model's transaction prices, rising 12.5 percent from last year."