ATLANTA, Feb. 3, 2026 – Cox Automotive today announced that Jeremy Robb has been appointed chief economist, further strengthening the company’s market-leading capabilities in economic forecasting, retail and wholesale analytics, and industry insights. Robb has more than two decades of experience spanning financial analysis, OEM leadership, data science collaboration, and automotive remarketing. He has been serving as interim chief economist since November, when Jonathan Smoke was promoted to chief strategy officer.
“Jeremy brings unmatched rigor, curiosity and credibility to our economic and industry analysis,” said Steve Rowley, president, Cox Automotive. “His analytical skill and thought leadership – paired with a deep understanding of both the automotive marketplace and the broader macroenvironment – make him the ideal voice to guide our clients and our business through the ongoing transformation of the automotive industry.”
As chief economist, Robb will oversee Cox Automotive’s enterprise-level economic outlook, monthly forecasts, client advisory, media briefings and the strategic integration of data drawn from across the company’s extensive retail and wholesale platforms.
Since joining Cox Automotive in 2018, Robb has been a senior leader in the Economic and Industry Insights organization, with a primary focus on the used-vehicle marketplace. He has helped develop industry-first analytics tools that give the industry new ways to understand lease and loan equity across all makes and models, drawing from and synthesizing proprietary data from brands such as Dealertrack, vAuto, Kelley Blue Book and Manheim. He has been a regular contributor to Cox Automotive’s industry analysis, presenting frequently at both client events and industry conferences on topics ranging from sales forecasts, Fed policy, auto market trends, and the closely watched Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index. He will be providing expert commentary this week at NADA.
Prior to that, Robb served as remarketing leader for Nissan and Infiniti across the U.S. and Canada, where he oversaw portfolio-level strategy, market performance, and the optimization of vehicle disposal channels. Earlier in his career, he was head of finance for NMAC, leading teams responsible for budgeting, month-end close, forecasting and executive decision support. His professional journey began in equity research, where he became known for creating new analytical tools that improved decision-making across large organizations.
Robb holds a bachelor’s degree in music and economics from Vanderbilt University, an executive MBA from the University of North Alabama, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive is the world’s largest automotive services and technology provider. Fueled by the largest breadth of first-party data fed by 2.3 billion online interactions a year, Cox Automotive tailors leading solutions for car shoppers, auto manufacturers, dealers, lenders and fleets. The company has 29,000+ employees on five continents and a portfolio of industry-leading brands that include Autotrader®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, vAuto®, Dealertrack®, NextGear Capital™, CentralDispatch® and Cox Fleet®. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately owned, Atlanta-based company with $23 billion in annual revenue. Cox Automotive has been included on Glassdoor’s Best Companies in Tech & AI 2026 and Best Place to Work in 2026 lists. Visit coxautoinc.com or connect via @CoxAutomotive on X, CoxAutoInc on Facebook or Cox-Automotive-Inc on LinkedIn.
Media Contacts:
Mark Schirmer
734 883 6346
mark.schirmer@coxautoinc.com
Dara Hailes
470 658 0656
dara.hailes@coxautoinc.com
