Kelley Blue Book just announced the twenty top most researched new vehicles for 2008 on the company’s web site (kbb.com), and of these, only three are domestic vehicles.  

Surprised?

While import manufacturers Honda and Toyota dominated the list and show they’ve got real staying power (they managed to grab thirteen of the twenty spots), this year’s list demonstrates that other manufacturers and vehicles have made a significant impact in the minds of consumers.

Many vehicles made the list that were not on the list in 2007, such as the Chevy Malibu, which made the most impressive leap, jumping 55 places from last year’s rank at 72 to this year’s rank at 17. Also making the list are the Honda Fit (last year ranked 35, this year 15), the Toyota Yaris (last year ranked 23, this year 11) and the Volkswagen Jetta (last year ranked 25, this year 20).

Smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles also dominated and in addition to the inclusion of subcompacts such as the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris, other fuel-efficient vehicles gaining positions include this year’s number-one vehicle, the Honda Civic, as well as the Toyota Corolla, Toyota Prius, Mazda3 and Ford Escape. The Toyota Camry and Honda Civic switched places in 2008 from last year.  Previously in 2007, Camry ranked at the number 1 position and the Civic came in at number 3. The Toyota Corolla also switched places with the Honda CR-V when compared to last year; Corolla was number 6 and CR-V was number 4, again indicating a shift toward more fuel-efficient vehicles.

From a regional and state-by-state standpoint, domestic vehicles like the Ford Escape and Chevrolet Malibu were much more popular in Michigan.

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.

According to Jack R. Nerad, who is the executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com:

“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 2008. Continued interest in Honda and Toyota, Chevrolet’s home-run Malibu redesign and an increase in visits to more fuel-efficient, economical vehicles is an accurate reflection of the marketplace in 2008.”

Kelley Blue Book Most-Researched New Vehicles of 2008:

1. Honda Civic
2. Honda Accord
3. Toyota Camry
4. Toyota Corolla
5. Nissan Altima
6. Honda CR-V
7. Toyota Prius
8. Toyota Highlander
9. Toyota RAV4
10. Mazda3
11. Toyota Yaris
12. Ford Escape
13. Honda Odyssey
14. Honda Pilot
15. Honda Fit
16. Ford Mustang
17. Chevrolet Malibu
18. Toyota Sienna
19. MINI Cooper
20. Volkswagen Jetta

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