• August 9, 2011

AutoTrader.com's July Trend Engine report says shoppers are interested in big trucks and SUVs despite relatively high gas prices. Also shortages of new cars and short supply of good used cars have pushed asking prices higher across new, used and Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicles.

"The combination of consumers holding on to their cars longer, leasing drying up and the lack of new car sales in 2009 and 2010 has caused a dearth of late-model quality used cars being available for sale in 2011," said Rick Wainschel, AutoTrader.com's vice president of automotive insights, in a release. "This short supply has put tremendous pressure on the used and CPO market, pushing prices higher. Additionally, production shortages in the new car arena have had a similar effect."

The new Jeep Grand Cherokee moved up two spots into the top 20 at No. 19 in July. The new Ford Explorer moved up one spot in July, taking the No. 10 spot. However, the biggest jump came in the crossover segment, with the new Kia Sorento moving up seven spots month-over-month to land at No. 20 in July.