Kelley Blue Book

Last updated
Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc.
Company type Subsidiary of Cox Automotive
IndustryInformation services, E-commerce software, Automotive
Founded1918;106 years ago (1918) (as The Kelley Kar Company)
1926;98 years ago (1926) (as Kelley Blue Book)
FounderLes Kelley
Headquarters Irvine, California, U.S.
Key people
Les Kelley, Founder
Buster Kelley
Steve Lind, President [1]
Parent Cox Automotive [2]
Website https://www.kbb.com

Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. (KBB) is a vehicle valuation and automotive research company. [3] [4] [5] [6] Based in Irvine, California, the company is owned by the Cox Automotive subsidiary of Cox Enterprises.

Contents

History

The company began as the Kelley Kar Company founded by Les Kelley in 1918. [3] [6] [7] Kelley started the company with three Model T Fords. [8] His younger brother, Buster, worked with Kelley as a lot boy. [8] By using data collected from the dealership, Kelley published the company’s first Blue Book in 1926, which became a standard guide in automotive trade in determining car value. [6] [9] [8] Kelley Blue Book was formed in 1926, and the Kelley family continued its dealership business in Southern California for several decades. [3] [6] [8] By the 1960s, the company moved from a car dealership to a specialty publisher and focused on the production of its automobile price guide. [6] Kelley Blue Book guide became the first publication to use mileage to determine a car's value.[ citation needed ]

In 1995, Kelley Blue Book created its company website, which contained tips and pricing information from its hardcopy guide. [10]

In December 2010, Kelley Blue Book was purchased by AutoTrader.com. [3] [4] [11] After its acquisition, the company operated as a subsidiary of AutoTrader.com, Inc. [12]

In 2013, the company formed an alliance with Bitauto Holdings Ltd. to expand into China. [13]

Sponsorship

In 2014, Kelley Blue Book signed a two-year agreement with Hendrick Motorsports to be a primary sponsor of Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s No. 88 Chevrolet SS NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team. [14] [15]

Services

The company reports market value prices for new and used automobiles of all types, as well as motorcycles, snowmobiles and personal watercraft. [16] For both new and used automobiles, Kelley Blue Book provides a fair market range and fair purchase price, based on actual transactions of what others are paying for a vehicle and adjusted regularly as market conditions change. [17] [18] For new automobiles, Kelley Blue Book also provides information about a car's MSRP and dealer invoice price. [19] For used cars, Kelley Blue Book provides typical listing price, certified pre-owned price, trade-in value and private party value. [20] [21] Kelley Blue Book also offers expert and consumer vehicle reviews and ratings, and 5-year cost to own information for new cars. [22] [23]

Recognition

In 2012–2014, Harris Poll recognized Kelley Blue Book as the Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year. [24] [25] In addition, the company received a WebAward in the automotive category of Outstanding Website for two consecutive years. [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Car dealerships in the United States</span>

In the United States, a car dealership is a business that sells cars. A car dealership can either be a franchised dealership selling new and used cars, or a used car dealership, selling only used cars. In most cases, dealerships provide car maintenance and repair services as well as trade-in, leasing, and financing options for customers.

A car seat is the seat used in automobiles. Most car seats are made from inexpensive but durable material in order to withstand prolonged use. The most common material is polyester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Car dealership</span> Business which sells, buys, and trades new and/or used cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans

A car dealership, or car dealer, is a business that sells new or used cars, at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. Car dealerships also often sell spare parts and automotive maintenance services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AutoNation</span> American automotive retailer

AutoNation is an American automotive retailer based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which provides new and pre-owned vehicles and associated services in the United States. The company was founded by Wayne Huizenga in 1996, starting with twelve AutoNation locations, and now has more than 300 retail outlets.

Auto Trader Group plc, commonly known as Auto Trader, is a British automotive online marketplace and classified advertising business. Auto Trader is listed on the London Stock Exchange trading under the ticker symbol AUTO, and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.

Edmunds.com Inc. is an American online resource for automotive inventory and information, including expert car reviews based on testing at the company's private facility. The company is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, and maintains an office in downtown Detroit, Michigan. After making a minority investment, Carmax purchased the whole company at an enterprise value of $404 million in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonic Automotive</span> American automotive retailing company

Sonic Automotive is a Fortune 500 company based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the fifth largest automotive retailer in the United States as measured by total revenues. The company was founded by O Bruton Smith and completed its initial public offering on the NYSE in 1997.

In North America, a salvage title is a form of vehicle title branding, which notes that the vehicle has been damaged and/or deemed a total loss by an insurance company that paid a claim on it. The criteria for determining when a salvage title is issued differ considerably by each state, province or territory. In a minority of states and Canadian provinces, regulations require a salvage title for stolen or vandalized vehicles which are not recovered by police within 21 days. In such cases insurance companies declare a vehicle total loss and pay off the previous owner; but, in others, it is issued only for losses due to damage. Under some circumstances, a salvage title denotation may be removed or replaced with a Rebuilt Salvage designation; and cars imported to, or exported from, the United States may be issued a clean title regardless of history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chevrolet Volt</span> Range extended electric automobile (2010–2019)

The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid and extended-range electric vehicle car that was manufactured by General Motors, and also marketed in rebadged variants as the Holden Volt in Australia and New Zealand and the Buick Velite 5 in China, and with a different fascia as the Vauxhall Ampera in the United Kingdom and as the Opel Ampera in the remainder of Europe. Volt production ended in February 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kia Soul</span> Motor vehicle

The Kia Soul is a subcompact crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by Kia since 2008. Often described and marketed as a crossover since its introduction, the Soul is a hatchback with a box proportion and tall roof, which are designed to maximize its interior space. Despite its SUV-like styling, the Soul was never available with all-wheel drive, instead it is exclusively a front-wheel drive vehicle.

Manheim, Inc. is an automobile auction company and the world's largest wholesale auto auction, based on trade volume with 145 auctions located in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. As a subsidiary of Cox Automotive, a subsidiary of privately owned Cox Enterprises, Inc. based in Atlanta, Georgia, Manheim's primary business is wholesaling vehicles via a bidding process using traditional and online formats. Manheim also provides other vital dealership and wholesale services, such as financing, title work, transportation, recovery, auto body repair, dealership management systems, dent repair and automotive reconditioning, and automotive re-marketing at each location.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lithia Motors</span> U.S. automotive retailer

Lithia Motors, Inc. is an American nationwide automotive dealership group headquartered in Medford, Oregon. It is the third largest new vehicle automotive dealership group in the United States, below AutoNation and Penske Automotive Group. As of May, 2024, Lithia operates 298 stores in the United States, 14 stores in Canada and 170 in the United Kingdom. Lithia Motors employs approximately 21,150 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Automobile Dealers Association</span> American trade organization

The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) is an American trade organization representing nearly 16,500 franchised new car and truck dealerships, both domestic and foreign. Established in 1917, the organization is based in Tysons Corner, Virginia. As the automotive retail industry's primary trade association, NADA monitors federal legislation and regulation affecting dealerships and publishes forecasts and reports about industry trends. American Truck Dealers, established in 1970, is a division of NADA representing nearly 1,800 heavy- and medium-duty truck dealerships throughout the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Car finance</span> Financial products enabling ownership of a car

Car finance refers to the various financial products which allow someone to acquire a car, including car loans and leases.

Autotrader.com, Inc. is an American online marketplace for car buyers and sellers, founded in 1997. It aggregates new, used, and certified second-hand cars from dealers and private sellers. The site also provides users with automotive reviews, shopping advice, and comparison tools for car financing and insurance information. The firm is based in Atlanta, Georgia. Since 2018 it has also been operating in Australia. Autotrader.com is owned by the Cox Automotive subsidiary of Cox Enterprises. It was originally a magazine, started by entrepreneur Stuart Arnold.

TrueCar, Inc. is an automotive pricing and digital retailing website for new and used car buyers. The service allows users to see what others paid for any new or used vehicle in their local area and receive upfront prices from a network of over 15,000 TrueCar Certified Dealers. TrueCar is paid by dealerships so they can be introduced to and communicate with potential new and used car buyers. TrueCar supports over 1 million new and used car transactions between dealers and its users each year. The company is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, with a sales office Austin, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DriveTime</span> American used car retailer

DriveTime Automotive Group Inc. is an American used car retailer and finance company. It is based in Tempe, Arizona, and sells and finances cars to customers around the nation. The company was formerly known as Ugly Duckling and was renamed DriveTime in 2002. It also spun off Carvana and GO Financial, SilverRock Group Inc, and Bridgecrest Acceptance Corporation. As of 2018, DriveTime had approximately 145 locations in the U.S. and 3,800 employees.

The Black Book family of vehicle appraisal guides in the United States, providing vehicle pricing data, is published by National Auto Research, a division of Hearst Communications. New and used car dealers, lenders, manufacturers, fleet remarketers, and government agencies have used Black Book since 1955.

The electric car company Tesla has faced dealership disputes in several US states as a result of local laws. In the United States, direct manufacturer auto sales are prohibited in many states by franchise laws requiring that new cars be sold only by independent dealers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automobile graveyard</span> Place where abandoned or discarded vehicles are present

An automobile graveyard or car cemetery is a place in which decrepit road vehicles reside while waiting to be destroyed or recycled or are left abandoned and decaying.

References

  1. ↑ Christopher Seward (5 August 2014). "New presidents named for AutoTrader.com, Kelley Blue Book". AJC.com. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  2. ↑ Fred Meier (21 August 2014). "Cox creates wholesale, retail auto sales giant". USA Today. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Kelley Blue Book Profile". Bloomberg Businessweek. Archived from the original on November 22, 2007. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Autotrader.com Buys Kelley Blue Book". Wall Street Journal. October 26, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  5. ↑ Hirsch, J. (September 22, 2011). "Kelley blue book warns of impostor website". Los Angeles Times.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Kelley Blue Book Tests the World Wide Web as a Distribution Source". New York Times. October 28, 1996.
  7. ↑ Jeff Glucker (May 26, 2011). "Kelley Blue Book has a new look". Auto. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Used-car innovator invented the 'blue book'". The Globe and Mail. December 11, 2001.
  9. ↑ Robert Duffer (May 21, 2013). "Fuel-efficient vehicles fill out best family cars list for 2013". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on February 24, 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  10. ↑ Kristen Schott (26 October 2010). "AutoTrader.com buys Kelley Blue Book". OC Metro. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  11. ↑ Shira Ovide (October 26, 2010). "Kelley Blue Book Sold at Near-Mint Condition". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  12. ↑ Li, S. (October 27, 2010). "AutoTrader plans to buy kelley blue book; terms of the deal, which requires regulatory approval, are not disclosed". LA Times.
  13. ↑ Clough, Richard (November 9, 2013). "Kelley Blue Book to expand into China". The Orange County Register . p. Business 1.
  14. ↑ "First-time NASCAR sponsor joins Earnhardt's No. 88". NASCAR.com. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  15. ↑ "Kelley Blue Book to sponsor Dale Earnhardt Jr". Hendrick Motorsports. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  16. ↑ Kirsti Correa (March 1, 2012). "Irvine-based Kelley Blue Book partners with Cyclechex to offer used-motorcycle information". OC Metro. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  17. ↑ "KBB Launches Price Advisor Tool". F&I Magazine. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  18. ↑ "Kelley Blue Book Debuts New Car Pricing Tool". Socal Tech. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  19. ↑ "Kelley adds certification to its used-vehicle listings". Automotive News. June 24, 2002.
  20. ↑ "KBB Report: Fair Purchase Price Data Shows Vehicle Segments Worth Buying Used". Business Fleet. 19 February 2013.
  21. ↑ "KBB Rolls Out Range-Based Pricing for Used Values". Auto Remarketing. 20 May 2014.
  22. ↑ Jonathan Welsh (30 July 2012). "Kelley Blue Book Launches First Consumer TV Ads (Video)". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  23. ↑ Mackenna Waterhouse (31 July 2012). "Kelley Blue Book launches national television ad campaign". OC Metro. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  24. ↑ "2013 Harris Poll EquiTrend Rankings". Harris Interactive. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
  25. ↑ "KBB.com Earns Brand of the Year Three Years Running". Yahoo! Finance. 12 June 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  26. ↑ Kara Vaporean (October 3, 2012). "Kelley Blue Book wins WebAward for second consecutive year". OC Metro. Retrieved September 24, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.