CINCINNATI, Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ — Swapalease.com, the pioneer of online automotive lease transferring, released a list of the top 10 most searched vehicles during January 2009. BMW models took the top three spots and held five positions overall dominating other manufacturers. Import vehicles, more specifically European luxury vehicles, rounded out the list with the Cadillac Escalade and the GMC Acadia being the only domestic entries, according to Swapalease.com user data.

1. BMW 3 Series

2. BMW 5 Series

3. BMW X5 Series

4. GMC Acadia

5. Mercedes- Benz E Class

6. BMW 7 Series

7. Cadillac Escalade

8. Mercedes- Benz S Class

9. BMW 6 Series

10. Mercedes M Class

Not only is it surprising to see the strong demand for expensive luxury vehicles in a sagging economy, but also noteworthy that four of the ten are classified as SUVs.

As recently as fourth quarter 2008, SUV demand was soft as evidenced by both sluggish sales and dropping trade-in values commonly being reported. Swapalease.com speculates this resurgence in SUV demand is the result of a combination of lower fuel prices and inclement weather favoring all and four wheel drive vehicles.

With the present state of the economy, leasing remains a popular option for money savvy consumers on luxury and non-luxury vehicles alike. Consumers are also looking for simple and inexpensive way to get into and out of leases as their financial situation changes, and lease transfers between one another continue to be a convenient option.