Toyota and Resale Value

From Official Toyota Blog "Open Road"

"There are lots of ways to calculate a vehicle’s value. Its utility and its fuel economy probably are good indicators, and reliability and long-term customer-satisfaction numbers also probably are good indicators. Fortunately, Toyota fares well in those departments.
But a critically important way to measure overall worth is a vehicle’s resale value.
Obviously, a vehicle that loses but a small amount of its initial value with the passage of time and usage is a better investment than a vehicle that loses a larger amount of that initial value.
So we’re pleased to report that Toyota vehicles figure prominently in Kelley Blue Book’s 2009 best-resale value list, according to a story posted recently on one of the Los Angeles Times’ blogs.
The list recognizes vehicles for what Kelley Blue Book calls their "projected retained value five years from now."
The Toyota and Lexus vehicles that made their way onto this important by-category list are as follows:
Compact pickup: Toyota Tacoma; full-size pickup: Toyota Tundra; hybrid crossover: Toyota Highlander Hybrid; and mid-size car: Lexus IS.
The list also named Toyota and Lexus to their list of the top 10 brands in terms of resale value.
But what of Scion? Did Scion get left out? Well, yes, and no.
Kelley Blue Book’s criteria for a brand’s making the list requires that a brand have a minimum of four nameplates in its portfolio. This eliminated Scion, which is among those ranked highest in resale of the small-car brands, but which has just three nameplates flying the Scion flag.
The Times story lists the top-10 2009 models in terms of resale value, though, without regard to category and we find Scion represented. Six of those spots, in fact, are held by Toyota products. They are the Scion xB, Scion xD, Scion tC, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Prius and Toyota Yaris.
We recognize that this is not on the same scale as someone giving you a hot tip for the stock market - as if any of us would be crazy to act on such a tip these days. But still, we think it’s pretty interesting information.
- Jon F. Thompson, Editor, Open Road