Kelley Blue Book, which provides new- and used-vehicle information, announced yesterday the 2011 model-year winners for its annual Best Resale Value Awards recognizing current and forthcoming vehicles for their projected retained value five years from now.

Since depreciation is typically a car buyer’s primary expense during ownership, these awards are designed to help consumers make more informed car-buying decisions. The awards are based on projections from the Kelley Blue Book Residual Value Guide, determined by an expert staff of automotive analysts.

The vehicles selected are expected to maintain the greatest proportion of their original list price after five years of ownership.

Low-volume vehicles and vehicles with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of more than $60,000 are excluded from award consideration, except in the luxury and high-performance categories.

BEST RESALE VALUE

» Brand: Subaru
» Luxury Brand: BMW
» Subcompact: Honda
» Compact: MINI Cooper
» Midsize: Honda
» Full-car: Ford Taurus
» Near-luxury: Lexus
» Luxury: Audi
» Sports car: Subaru Impreza
» High-performance: Ford Mustang
» Hybrid/alt. energy: Volkswagen Golf
» Compact utility: Honda CR-V
» Midsize utility: Toyota FJ Cruiser
» Full-size utility vehicle: GMC Acadia
» Luxury utility vehicle: BMW X5
» Hybrid/alt. energy utility vehicle: BMW X5 XDrive35d
» Midsize pickup: Toyota Tacoma
» Full-size pickup: Ford F-Series Super Duty
» Van: Toyota Sienna
» Wagon: Subaru Outback

TOP 10 MODELS

Residual values used for award calculations are based on the November/December 2010 Kelley Blue Book. Residual Value Guide. Top 10 models appear in alphabetical order:

» Audi A5
» BMW X5
» BMW X6
» Honda CR-V
» Jeep Wrangler
» Lexus GX
» Lexus RX
» Subaru Outback
» Toyota FJ Cruiser
» Toyota Tacoma