The Auto Market Brief – Ep. #21
In this Episode
What could the post-midterm landscape mean for consumers, the auto market and the strategies shaping the industry?
In this episode of The Auto Market Brief, host and Cox Automotive Executive Analyst Erin Keating and Chief Economist Jeremy Robb examine the latest market and economic signals before looking ahead at how shifting consumer dynamics and automaker strategies could influence what’s next.
Key Takeaways
Post-Midterm Outlook:
With affordability top of mind, Keating, Erin and Robb, Jeremy explore potential implications for consumer sentiment, spending and the wealth effect, along with what changing policy priorities could mean for the broader economy.
Market Signals:
New-vehicle SAAR lands at 15.5 million as stronger fleet sales help offset softer retail growth, while average transaction prices reach a new record of $51,100. The conversation also examines jobs, wages, dealer fixed operations and the potential effects of future interest-rate moves.
Automakers Rethink Their Advantages:
Keating, Erin examines Tesla’s shift toward Cybercab and autonomy, leadership changes at Stellantis and Toyota, and Toyota’s opportunity to turn its hybrid and powertrain expertise into a business beyond its own vehicles.
The episode also covers falling oil and gas prices, industrial policy, corporate profitability and the growing focus among automakers on where they hold a competitive advantage.
00:00 Intro
01:36 New-Vehicle Sales: Fleet Offsets Softer Retail
03:39 Record Vehicle Prices and Dealer Profitability
05:48 Jobs, Wages and Consumer Health
07:15 What Changes After the Midterms?
10:52 Consumer Sentiment and the Wealth Effect
15:16 What Comes Next for Interest Rates
17:18 Tesla Shifts from Cybertruck to Cybercab
19:30 New Leadership at Stellantis
20:45 Toyota’s Leadership Transition
22:50 Turning Hybrid Expertise Into a Business
24:30 Where Automakers Have an Advantage
26:25 Outro
