Answer:
The original value of the car.
Step-by-step explanation:
The 21,500 would be the a value of the function, as it is before the parentheses. The a value of an exponential function is a constant, and it is the y-intercept of that function, meaning in a real-world application, it would be where the values start at. In this case, the 21,500 is where the price of the car starts at, i.e., the original value of the car.