Kelley Blue Book values CARS star at $1.5 million

In a bit of creative (if liberally stretched) cross-brand marketing, Kelley Blue Book, the folks responsible for helping consumers evaluate the value of all things four-wheeled, have teamed up with Walt Disney and Pixar to offer assessments of how much the animated stars in CARS are worth.

The upcoming film, slated to hit theatres June 9 will star Lightning McQueen, a 200-mph racer KBB believes is worth $1.5 million, the most expensive valuation in the guide's history. KBB executive editorial director and market analyst Jack R. Nerad also reports that this marks the first time that his company has attached a value to a tow truck: "'Tow-Mater, as this specific tow truck likes to be called, was difficult to place a value on without a pink slip or any appropriate badging, but its value has been enhanced due to its low-volume, hard-to-find model status.'" Uh-huh.

Check out the press release at the link.

[Source: Auto Racing Daily; Pixar Animation Studios]