June 22, 2000 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)
No rise in new vehicle prices for three years
For three years in
a row, prices paid by consumers for new vehicles have not increased.
![Percent change in the Consumer Price Index for new vehicles, 1990 to 1999](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120925071308im_/http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/images/2000/Jun/wk3/art04.gif)
[Chart data—TXT]
In 1997, prices of new vehicles fell by 0.9 percent—the first decline
since 1971. Prices were steady in 1998 and decreased by 0.3 percent in
1999.
Dealers and manufacturers gave consumers increased rebates and
concessions in 1999. Moreover, in recent years, consumers have become
better informed and price savvy, using the Internet to compare styles,
equipment options, and prices of vehicles conveniently from their homes.
These data are from the BLS Consumer
Price Index program. To find out
more about trends in consumer prices, see "Core
consumer prices in 1999: low by historical standards,"
by Todd Wilson, Monthly Labor Review, April 2000. Annual percent
changes are from December-to-December.
Of interest
Spotlight on Statistics: National Hispanic Heritage Month
In this Spotlight, we take a look at the Hispanic labor force—including labor force participation, employment and unemployment, educational attainment, geographic location, country of birth, earnings, consumer expenditures, time use, workplace injuries, and employment projections.
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Read more »