Company type | Subsidiary of Cox Automotive |
---|---|
Industry | Information services, E-commerce software, Automotive |
Founded | 1918 1926 (as Kelley Blue Book) | (as The Kelley Kar Company)
Founder | Les 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. is a vehicle valuation and automotive research company which is recognized by both consumers and the automotive industry. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] Based in Irvine, California, the company is owned by the Cox Automotive subsidiary of Cox Enterprises.
The company began as the Kelley Kar Company founded by Les Kelley in 1918. [5] [8] [10] Kelley started the company with three Model T Fords. [11] His younger brother, Buster, worked with Kelley as a lot boy. [11] 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. [8] [9] [11] Kelley Blue Book was formed in 1926, and the Kelley family continued its dealership business in Southern California for several decades. [5] [8] [11] By the 1960s, the company moved from a car dealership to a specialty publisher and focused on the production of its automobile price guide. [8] 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. [12]
In December 2010, Kelley Blue Book was purchased by AutoTrader.com. [5] [6] [13] After its acquisition, the company operated as a subsidiary of AutoTrader.com, Inc. [14]
In 2013, the company formed an alliance with Bitauto Holdings Ltd. to expand into China. [15]
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. [16] [17]
The company reports market value prices for new and used automobiles of all types, as well as motorcycles, snowmobiles and personal watercraft. [18] 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. [19] [20] For new automobiles, Kelley Blue Book also provides information about a car's MSRP and dealer invoice price. [21] For used cars, Kelley Blue Book provides typical listing price, certified pre-owned price, trade-in value and private party value. [22] [23] Kelley Blue Book also offers expert and consumer vehicle reviews and ratings, and 5-year cost to own information for new cars. [24] [25]
In 2012–2014, Harris Poll recognized Kelley Blue Book as the Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year. [26] [27] In addition, the company received a WebAward in the automotive category of Outstanding Website for two consecutive years. [28]
Company type | Subsidiary of Cox Automotive |
---|---|
Industry | Information services, E-commerce software, Automotive |
Founded | 1918 1926 (as Kelley Blue Book) | (as The Kelley Kar Company)
Founder | Les 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. is a vehicle valuation and automotive research company which is recognized by both consumers and the automotive industry. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] Based in Irvine, California, the company is owned by the Cox Automotive subsidiary of Cox Enterprises.
The company began as the Kelley Kar Company founded by Les Kelley in 1918. [5] [8] [10] Kelley started the company with three Model T Fords. [11] His younger brother, Buster, worked with Kelley as a lot boy. [11] 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. [8] [9] [11] Kelley Blue Book was formed in 1926, and the Kelley family continued its dealership business in Southern California for several decades. [5] [8] [11] By the 1960s, the company moved from a car dealership to a specialty publisher and focused on the production of its automobile price guide. [8] 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. [12]
In December 2010, Kelley Blue Book was purchased by AutoTrader.com. [5] [6] [13] After its acquisition, the company operated as a subsidiary of AutoTrader.com, Inc. [14]
In 2013, the company formed an alliance with Bitauto Holdings Ltd. to expand into China. [15]
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. [16] [17]
The company reports market value prices for new and used automobiles of all types, as well as motorcycles, snowmobiles and personal watercraft. [18] 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. [19] [20] For new automobiles, Kelley Blue Book also provides information about a car's MSRP and dealer invoice price. [21] For used cars, Kelley Blue Book provides typical listing price, certified pre-owned price, trade-in value and private party value. [22] [23] Kelley Blue Book also offers expert and consumer vehicle reviews and ratings, and 5-year cost to own information for new cars. [24] [25]
In 2012–2014, Harris Poll recognized Kelley Blue Book as the Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year. [26] [27] In addition, the company received a WebAward in the automotive category of Outstanding Website for two consecutive years. [28]