10 COOLEST NEW CARS UNDER $18,000 OF 2014 NAMED BY KBB.COM

Two criteria – – fun–to–drive and fun–to–own – – are critical among the deciding factors of what the editors freely admit is a very subjective “cool factor,” the over–arching number–one criterion for a vehicle to place on this list. Each vehicle is available for purchase at $18,000 or less, using Kelley Blue Book’s exclusive Fair Purchase Price as the yardstick. Updated weekly and based on current market conditions like vehicle availability, local demand and seasonal buying trends, the Kelley Blue Book^® Fair Purchase Price shows shoppers what others have been paying for a new car recently and is included in KBB.com’s Price Advisor tool, which provides range–based market pricing.

“Low–priced new cars are getting cooler with each passing year and the mass–appeal, bread–and–butter small cars are becoming increasingly stylish and tech–savvy,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com. “On the strength of a well–received redesign for 2014, the Mazda3, which could be called king of the Coolest Cars Under $18,000, reclaims its spot at the top of our annual list. Stylish and fun from day one, the Mazda3’s engineering innovation that results in great benefits like high fuel efficiency and fun–to–drive make it cooler than ever.”

KBB.com’s 10 Coolest New Cars Under $18,000 of 2014

To see KBB.com’s full editorial commentary for the 10 Coolest Cars Under $18,000 of 2014, including notable tech and style features, pricing information, vehicle photography and more, please visit http://www.kbb.com/car-reviews-and-news/top-10/coolest-cars-under-18000-2014/.

For more information and news from Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com, visit www.kbb.com/media/, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kelleybluebook (or @kelleybluebook), like our page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kbb, and get updates on Google+ at https://plus.google.com/+kbb.

About Kelley Blue Book (www.kbb.com)
Founded in 1926, Kelley Blue Book, The Trusted Resource^®, is the only vehicle valuation and information source trusted and relied upon by both consumers and the automotive industry. Each week the company provides the most market-reflective values in the industry on its top-rated website KBB.com, including its famous Blue Book^® Trade-In and Suggested Retail Values, and Fair Purchase Price, which reports what others are paying for new cars this week. The company also provides vehicle pricing and values through various products and services available to car dealers, auto manufacturers, finance and insurance companies, and governmental agencies. Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com ranked highest in its category for brand equity by the 2014 Harris Poll EquiTrend^® study and has been named Online Auto Shopping Brand of the Year for three consecutive years. Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. is a Cox Automotive company.

###