BLC Belo Corp.

CHICAGO, April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Spurred by aggressive incentives, consumer interest in Toyota vehicles has experienced a significant rebound in the month of March, according to the most recent Cars.com Consumer Search Index.

Consumer contacts to dealers for Toyota vehicles grew by more than 86 percent over February.  The rebound was led by the RAV4, Highlander, Corolla and Camry.  Those vehicles topped the list of vehicles experiencing the greatest increase in consumer contacts to dealers month over month.  All but one of the top ten cars experiencing the greatest lift in consumer interest on Cars.com were Toyota models.

"Toyota's unusual incentives seem to be working, even with the recall news," said Cars.com Editor in Chief Patrick Olsen.  "It's interesting to note that the Hyundai Sonata is the only non-Toyota car on the list.  Especially in the wake of its marketing campaign, the Sonata continues to gain traction with consumers on Cars.com."

Below is a list of the top ten cars experiencing the largest increase and the largest decrease in consumer contacts to dealers on Cars.com in the month of March.

About Cars.com

Cars.com is the leading destination for online car shoppers, offering credible, easy-to-understand information from consumers and experts to help buyers formulate opinions on what to buy, where to buy and how much to pay for a car. With comprehensive pricing information, side-by-side comparison tools, photo galleries, videos, unbiased editorial content and a large selection of new- and used-car inventory, Cars.com puts millions of car buyers in control of their shopping process with the information they need to make confident buying decisions. 

Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures, LLC, which is owned by leading media companies, including Belo (NYSE: BLC), Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI), Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO).

SOURCE Cars.com