BMW BLOG

According to Wall Street Journal, VW is leading the automobile industry with the best overall predicted resale values. VW is followed by companies known to have cars with good resale values: BMW, Honda, Acura and Porsche. While it's not surprising to see these companies in top five, it is actually sad that none of the Detroit based companies are not even in top ten. Detroit-made or -owned brands made up eight of KBB's 10 worst resale picks for 2008 models. 

WSJ states that Detroit's auto makers have suffered in such comparisons because they have tended to push for share by overproducing, then slapping on big discounts or selling vehicles in bulk to rental-car companies.

On the other side, three of the VW brand's models, the Eos, Jetta and Rabbit, have average residuals greater than 50%. The majority of Volkswagen's vehicles have held more than 48% of their original price over the past five years. BMW follows closely with a 45.8% average but if we would break down the numbers on individual models, then BMW's 3-series models will probably be ranking higher. 

Also, interesting that a year ago, Honda and Acura have tied for the first spot and have moved since then into the third and forth place. 

Ford and Chrysler LLC dominated the worst depreciation list with four and three brands each, respectively. Ford's luxury Jaguar brand, which the auto maker hopes to sell early next year, retains just 34.1% of its original price, while Ford holds 33.8%, Lincoln 33.3% and Mercury 32.5%.

GM's Chevrolet Corvette managed to nab a mention for good resale value in the high-performance and individual model categories. Honda's Civic holds the best hybrid residual, KBB says. Toyota's Tundra is the best resale bet for pickup trucks, Acura's MDX for sport-utility vehicles and Honda's Odyssey for minivans.

[source: WSJ ]